Another concern related to the mild temperatures is insect activity. The warm, dry conditions over the previous two months has led to a number of reports regarding increased greenbug activity. Concerns are also heightening over insect infestations in stored grain. The mild, dry conditions have been a drawback to crop production, but thus far this winter's weather has been nearly ideal for High Plains livestock producers and their animals. Livestock have been allowed to remain on harvested cropland to graze stalks, thus saving on feed supplies.
Reports indicate rapid weight gain on cattle while using little of the existing feed stocks.
For those cattle in feedlots, all states report excellent feedlot gains. While most livestock are reportedly in good to excellent condition, the dry and dusty conditions have caused respiratory problems. This made the fourth year out of the past five in which annual runoff was above normal. For the year, only 3 months recorded at or below average runoff. At the end of December, system storage totaled 57.5 MAF, down 0.8 MAF from November.