REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- While rainfall in the Midwest and Upper Plains has slowed grain harvest, it has improved pasture and range conditions.

Nebraska suffered most of the year from drought conditions, which led to damage to pasture and range due to wildfires, the moisture seen across the state has helped them tremendously. A 14% improvement was seen in very-poor-to-poor pasture conditions, moving the total to 43%. An 8% improvement was seen in the good-to-excellent category to move them to 23%.

Overall improvements in pasture and range conditions are seen throughout most of the central section of the U.S., and some much-needed improvements also in the Southwest states of Arizona and New Mexico.

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said the areas of rain over the last week in the Plains and western Midwest have helped increase soil moisture for a lot of pasture and rangeland. "Drought is still an issue in some places though," he said. "For those areas that need rain, it looks like it's coming. A front is moving through the Northern Plains early in the week and is bringing scattered showers to the Dakotas."

Montana, Wyoming and other states in the Pacific Northwest continue to have dry conditions. Montana is at 56% very-poor-to-poor pastures and Wyoming is at 65%. Montana has 13% in the good-to-excellent category, but Wyoming is at 0% here.

"Montana didn't pick up much rain, but it'll be filling in better as the front moves through the country for the rest of the week," Baranick said. "Part of that is because the remnants of Hurricane Polo will cross northwestern Mexico and move into the Plains in the middle of the week."

Areas of heavy rain are expected from Nebraska down to Texas and could extend into Iowa and Missouri. "Though rainfall won't be as heavy farther east across the Midwest, it does look like coverage will be pretty high with this front moving through."

Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas look to be holding steady with pasture conditions and haven't received as much moisture. Looking at the U.S. drought monitor map, the worst conditions of exceptional (D4) drought are mostly in some of these states.

Overall, rainfall this week is expected to be a net benefit to reducing drought in a lot of areas, according to Baranick. "However, deficits are incredibly large in many areas of the Plains, and despite all the rain forecast to come through, more is going to be needed to put pastures and ranges in good standing," he added.

Across the country, very poor and poor conditions are seen more widespread than they were a year ago. This goes for the best conditions also, with only 15% being good pasture and range conditions as compared to 25% for the same time last year.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

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