Past,Present, Future. Read our Past, Present Future feature starting on page 13 of the 2nd section!
2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
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Y E A R S
June 24, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 9
Drought threatens Wisconsin Rain needed across state as dry weather continues By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
Following the wettest winter on record, Wisconsin experienced the fourth driest May in its history. June continued with the same dry pattern as the land got thirstier, pushing Wisconsin into what is known as a ash drought. “Flash drought comes on very rapidly,” said Steve Vavrus, Wisconsin state climatologist. “It shocked me how quick the state transformed from not having any dry conditions on May 23 to about 90% of the state being abnormally dry and a quarter of the state in moderate drought by June 8. It’s remarkable.” January through April marked the wettest start of any in Wisconsin. Therefore, an abundance of soil moisture helps to explain why crops are still looking decent. “Subsoil conditions are in pretty good shape due to earlier
wetness percolating down to the soil,” Vavrus said. “If roots have tapped into that wet layer, they’re doing pretty well. But it’s not great if you’re talking about the top layer. Three-quarters of Wisconsin topsoil is rated short or very short. The closer you get to the surface, the drier the soil is.” According to Vavrus, solar energy was high in May, and exceptionally dry air masses dried the soil out quickly. Relative humidity has been extremely low for this time of year, helping to suck moisture from the soil. “A combination of not getting enough rainfall into the soil and dry air causing evaporation caused this ash drought we’re experiencing in Wisconsin,” Vavrus said. The average statewide rainfall this May was 1.59 inches. From 1901 to 2000, May in Wisconsin averaged 3.54 inches of rainfall. “To nd a drier May, you
have to go back to 1988,” Vavrus said. “Before that, the driest May occurred during the Dust Bowl of 1934.” June started off as dry as May and was slightly worse up until recently. According to the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, from June 1 to June 16, Wisconsin received 40% of normal rainfall, as did May. Averaged across Wisconsin, June rainfall has been a meager 0.82 inches, even though June is typically Wisconsin’s wettest month, Vavrus said. Last year at this time, the statewide rainfall average was 10% higher than normal. “Precipitation was pretty typical last
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The average statewide rainfall for Wisconsin this May was 1.59 inches. From Turn to DROUGHT 1901 to 2000, May in Wisconsin averaged 3.54 inches of rainfall. | Page 6
When country comes to town Sisters use dairy promotion to honor father’s legacy By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
MAUSTON, Wis. – When sisters Heidi Finucan and Abbie Erickson lost their father due to complications from a stroke 10 years ago, they were determined to honor his legacy somehow. Then, they remembered he had been worried about the future of the dairy barn at Veteran’s Memorial Park where the Juneau County fair is held. They decided to raise funds for a new building in his honor.
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Abbie Erickson (le�) and her sister, Heidi Finucan, show off their farm’s cutout cow June 2 at Lion’s Park in Mauston, Wisconsin. The sisters are part of the Juneau County Dairy Promo�ons Council and use the cows to promote the dairy industry throughout the month of June. To achieve their nancial goal, the sisters used a
creative promotion idea. By making plywood cows, local
businesses could then sponsor and decorate the cows however
they liked. The cows were then lined up in downtown Mauston from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July as a way to honor June Dairy Month and their father’s legacy as a dairyman. “We were looking for something to do as a tribute to his passing,” Heidi said. “We already had a pot started, and this was a way to keep raising that and have maintenance funds.” The rst year they did the promotion, the funds were used toward building the Robert Holig Memorial Dairy Pavilion, a dairy building at the fairgrounds named after their father. The sisters come from Cattail Dairy, where their family milks 350 cows near Wonewoc. Turn to ERICKSON | Page 7