Spring rains saved Southwest Colorado farmers from disaster following a lackluster winter snowpack. But water conservancy districts remain cautious amid forecasts for a hot, dry and windy summer.
Dusty Mars of Siebel Ranch in Ignacio, who grows premium horse hay, said the spring rains were helpful but didn’t compensate for the dry fall and winter.
Cold spring temperatures also delayed germination, Mars said. He planted in late April, but seeds didn’t sprout for several weeks.
The weather put him about two weeks behind schedule, resulting in slightly lower yields.
“(Spring rains) saved us from absolute disaster,” he said. “That was about it.”
His typical growing season runs from May 1 to Oct. 1.
He was harvesting last week and said mid-June’s hot, dry conditions are a mixed bag.
“The hot, dry wind is like an oven, and it’s really speeding up our drying times,” he said. “It's making it difficult to capture the crop at exactly the right time for moisture content. But it is nice to be able to make hay while the sun shines.”
Abe Orr, herd manager at James Ranch, said his grass fields for cattle grazing were in good shape regardless of the spring rains – though he added, “a little bit of moisture goes a long ways.”
He said ground cover and plant diversity help retain soil moisture. While poor snow years are a concern, James Ranch focuses on soil health to hold water.
“You always have to work harder when Mother Nature turns off the tap, because you have to make sure the cattle are happy with how much water they have to drink and then also making sure that the grass is happy and you're not taking too much in each pasture,” he said.
Southwestern Water Conservation District General Manager Steve Wolff said spring rains were “fantastic” for farmers, increasing soil moisture and allowing both dryland and stored water farmers to reduce water use and conserve stored supply.
“It really has been a good blessing after a mediocre snowpack,” he said.
Early June mountain rains were especially beneficial to farmers who depend on McPhee Reservoir in Montezuma County.
Dolores Water Conservancy District General Manager Ken Curtis said water allocations were initially set at 30% of normal, but spring rains allowed an increase to 50%.
“What was going to be a disaster year is now just a really bad year,” he said. “It was great to have the cool spring with the precip, and it has mitigated the season somewhat.”
He said spring rains boosted soil moisture and reduced immediate demand for stored water.
“But now it's hot, dry and windy – so we'll see,” he said. “There is a long way to go.”
Wolff said recent winters have shown that even 100% snowpack can result in just 70% runoff, because soils that dried out the preceding fall soak up water and prevent it from ever reaching streams. The wet spring this year helped mitigate some of that water loss.
Although discharge from the Animas River is dropping due to hot weather, the Southwestern Water Conservation District observed prolonged runoff this spring, aided by rains and cool temperatures, which benefit producers long term, Wolff said.
Still, summer conditions remain uncertain.
Wolff said long-range forecasts are hard to trust – some models predict continued heat, while others suggest possible monsoonal activity later in the summer, which he’s hopeful for.
According to Colorado State University’s Colorado Climate Center, the North American Monsoon typically arrives in July and persists through August, but where it develops and at what strength can affect how it materializes in Southwest Colorado.
National Weather Service meteorologist Gillian Felton, based in Grand Junction, said Durango received above-average moisture in May and June, despite a dryer-than-average March and April.
She said some signs point to possible monsoonal moisture by Fourth of July, but as of Tuesday, the Western Slope remains in drought and the holiday forecast is uncertain.
cburney@durangoherald.com
