CALF_News_June_July_2021

44 CALF News • June | July 2021 • www.calfnews.net  CALF COMMUNITY On the Human Side Novel droughts include snow drought, which occurs when low winter precipi- tation prevents buildup of snowpack; hotter drought, which naturally occurs under continued warming temperatures; megadrought, lasting two decades or longer; flash drought, which occurs within weeks or months after severe moisture deficits and hot temperatures; human induced-drought, caused by too much water use; and human-modified drought, when a meteorological drought is altered by human action. Crausbay indicated that climate models project an increasing likelihood of warm snow droughts caused by climate change. This could create more risk to wildlife and vegetation, and increase the chance for more wildfires. The hotter drought is among the more critical novel droughts. “Recent hotter droughts, with increases in evapo- rative demand, have crossed ecological thresholds,” Crausbay’s paper states. “For example, there is noticeably increasing tree mortality in several regions across the globe.” Also, rising global surface tempera- tures will increase vapor pressure deficit (VPD) in a linear way. VPD is the difference between the saturation vapor pressure and the actual vapor pressure. VPD is increasingly higher with warm- ing temperatures, and “increased VPD substantially affects basic plant and animal physiological processes, leading to increased mortality,” Crausbay said. Although flash droughts develop rapidly, they are not necessarily short in duration and could last as long as dry conditions persist. “The separate clas- sification of flash droughts is particularly relevant because of the rapid develop- ment and potential surprise they present when precipitation levels are normal,” Crausbay said. “It is likely that these events will occur more frequently in a warmer climate, suggesting an emerging need for improved drought preparation.” Many would consider the Dust Bowl a megadrought. It was eight years of hell for the High Plains, where poor soil management coupled with drought nearly destroyed agricultural produc- tion. Megadroughts can cover multiple regions and manifest as pancontinental drought. “Now, evidence from general circulation models suggest that warm- ing from climate change is increasing evaporative demand and adding substan- tially to the likelihood of megadrought in some regions in the next few decades,” Crausbay’s paper warns. She points out that one study found that the 2000 to 2018 period in south- western North America “was the driest 19-year period since the megadrought of the late 1500s.” The study’s estima- tion finds “near-equal contributions from natural variability and anthropogenic warming to the severity of the 2000 to 2018 drought.” “The understanding of future drought is limited by the understanding of how vegetation responds to drought, given elevated levels of CO 2 , Crausbay added. “This key driver of climate change is also an important plant resource. When its concentration increases, plants can potentially respond in ways that increase their water-use efficiency.” There’s little doubt that climatologists and others need a better understand- ing worldwide of the impact of climate change on drought. Being able to iden- tify the impact of novel droughts may help crop and livestock producers alter their production plans to counter overall impacts of drier growing conditions. Because, if you're not in a drought, possibly you're fixin’ to be. To monitor the latest Vegetation Drought Response Index, visit https:// vegdri.unl.edu .  National The Livestock Publications Council (LPC) has inducted Burt Rutherford , Rangeview Strategies, into the LPC Hall of Fame. Ruther- ford has committed 40 years to livestock journalism. Rutherford has worked for the North American Limousin Foundation , was editor of the Western Livestock Journal and served as the communications director for the Texas Cattle Feeders Association . Many know him from his 14-year career with BEEF Magazine , serving as senior editor of the magazine and digital products. The LPC also awarded Dan Hoge , Black Hawk College East Campus , Kewanee, Ill., the 2021 LPC Headliner Award. More than 5,000 people have been directly inspired, educated, coached and mentored by livestock industry legend, Dan Hoge. For the past 50 years, Hoge has left a mark in agricultural education, educating young people to make a difference in the livestock industry through his courses at Black Hawk. His reputa- tion at Black Hawk has drawn students to study animal science from 35 states across the country. Both recipients will be formally honored at Ag Media Summit in August. Company ServiTech, Inc. , has added two people as territory leaders. Christie Werner is the new southwestern territory lead, and Mark Morten is the new Nebraska west territory lead for the ServiTech Crop Services team. In addition to serving customers, Werner and Morten will focus on leading the Crop Services team and work as business leaders for their respective territories. In these new roles, Werner and Morten will be responsible for planning, budgeting, forecasting, developing and leading ter- ritory initiatives, enhancing customer experiences and expanding the reach of ServiTech Crop Service.  Burt Rutherford Dan Hoge UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY Continued from page 34