It could be great for Virginia’s wineries, but rough
for the state’s cattle owners if recent drought
predictions prove correct. In an April report to the state’s
Drought Monitoring Taskforce, the State
Climatologist warns of a significant agricultural
drought if the state doesn’t get good rains in the
near future. The recent downpours up here in northern
Virginia may not be enough.
Here’s why. Normally by May of each year, precipitation
in the form of rain or snow exceeds by five inches the
amount of moisture lost through evaporation or transpiration
from plants. (Remember transpiration from high school
biology? It occurs when water evaporates from the leaves
of plants and in turn is taken up through roots from the
soil.) Adequate precipitation allows for extra water storage
during the hotter, drier days of summer. In many parts
of the state, this hasn’t happened. Since the first
of the year, some areas of Virginia have received only
30 percent of the precipitation needed to take them through
drier months.
Drought is an odd weather occurrence. Unlike a hurricane,
tornado or even a thunderstorm, it is not purely a physical
event. Drought occurs when lack of water fails to meet
the needs of a region, whether plant, animal or human.
It’s not just about insufficient precipitation,
but about how water is used. As a
2000 report on drought conditions in southwestern
Virginia put it, “Is it Mother Nature or is it us?”
Virginia’s worst drought may have occurred about
the time the Jamestown colonists arrived. There are some
hints in journals left behind. One colonist wrote that
the Algonquian natives asked the colonists to pray to
their English gods for rain. They said their own gods
weren’t responding. Captain John Smith also reported
that the tribe complained of a poor corn crop and would
not trade corn with the settlers (“Grimness of Mythic
Proportions,” Discover, January, 1999).
David Stahle, a dendrochronologist
with the University of Arkansas, confirmed these suspicions
with his study of tree growth rings on 1,000-year-old
bald cypresses in the Tidewater area. Trees add a layer
of wood annually, and in wet years that layer grows more
than in drier years. Stahle’s research backed up
the Jamestown archeologists’ theories. Virginia
suffered a seven-year drought from 1606 to 1612. The first
104 Jamestown settlers arrived in 1607. A year later there
were only 38 left. Drought is considered a factor in this
high mortality rate.
In more recent history, Virginia has suffered several
major droughts since the 1900s. The most severe occurred
from 1930 to 1932, in the early years of drought conditions
that eventually caused the Dust Bowl in the Midwest. There
was a lot of prayer for rain in that era, as well; in
the 1930s, agriculture was king in the commonwealth.
The most recent drought conditions occurred in 2002. At
the time, Governor Mark Warner banned lawn watering, car
washing and the filling of swimming pools in most areas
of the state. Wells dried up in rural areas as the water
table dropped. Warner waived the requirement for a construction
permit to the more than 2,000 people who had applied to
dig new wells. (“Va. Designates ‘Czar’
to Oversee Drought; Rules Streamlined on Some
New Wells,” The Washington Post, August
27, 2002.) In Charlottesville, restaurant owners voluntarily
changed to disposable plates. They provided sanitizing
wipes as an alternative to hand-washing. Hotels turned
off ice-making machines. Some establishments even displaced
the water in toilet tanks with gallon jugs or bricks (“Virginia
Operators Tap Conservation Steps to Avert Drought Shutdowns,”
Nation’s Restaurant News, November 11,
2002).
The drought had an upside, though. The 2002 wine harvest
was great! Dry weather helps grapes ripen sooner and aromas
and flavors develop better when that happens. Vineyard
owners also saved money on mildew-spraying costs in 2002,
because fungus doesn’t grow as well in dry weather
(“Virginia Drought Good for Vineyards, Wreaks Havoc
on Pastures,” Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business
News, August 2, 2002).
However, at Virginia’s 25,000
cattle farms, a drought can have severe economic impact.
If pastures aren’t in good shape, farmers have to
feed their livestock hay stored for the winter. To avoid
using up stored feed, they may sell livestock early to
get the best prices, but underweight cattle could force
prices lower. This is but one consequence of drought in
the Old Dominion, which affects not only agriculture but
forests. Dry timber and brush provides fuel for wildfires.
Ironically, firefighters need water to combat them. It’s
just a catch-22 for everyone, all because no one has seen
enough rain.
May 15, 2006
Nice & Curious
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Last Modified:
Friday, June 27, 2008
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