Gov. Mike Easley on Thursday said the most serious levels of drought have spread from the western part of the state into the Piedmont, and he has expanded his directive to state agencies in the region to stop various non-essential uses of water. Twenty-seven counties are in either severe or extreme drought, the third and fourth levels of a five-category national drought monitoring system.
"The good news is that we are seeing some rain and spot showers that are typical for the summer in North Carolina," Easley said. "But the problem is the rainfall is so sporadic that most of the state is bone dry. Until we receive several days of consistent rainfall, residents need to conserve water."
Ninety-four counties in North Carolina are now classified as experiencing some form of drought -- either moderate, severe or extreme. Wilkes is presently in the moderate drought category, according to the Palmer Drought Index.
A lot of people are usually getting ready this time of year to apply fertilizer, whether its to their yard or to hay and pasture crops. But the North Carolina Department of Agriculture is warning this year, you should not apply fertilizer. The reason is the drought. Agronomists say not only is it a waste of money because of the absence of moisture, but the left over fertilizer on the ground and the grass can be poisonous to livestock using it for feed. High levels of nitrates can kill cattle.
Even in the yard, fertilizing before the drought conditions have eased is nothing more than a waste of money, because grass will not come out of its summer dormancy as early as usual due to the drought stress. It will take more than a few heavy rains to ease the drought enough to matter, in either situation.