Yates reports cattlemen are beginning to sell off cattle because pastures have dried up to dust, and the county's soybean crop is "looking stressed."
Sequoyah County, Yates reminded residents, is the fifth highest soybean-producing county in the state.
Yates said, "Ranchers are having to sell their cattle because there is no pasture left, and they are beginning to have to feed hay and supplements. They are also way behind on bailing hay."
That means that cattlemen may not even have hay to keep their cattle over the winter.
Yates, who raises registered Hereford cattle, said he has taken some of his cattle to Kansas, which has received more rain and has better pasture.
"You can't find hay around here. Hay is available in Kansas," Yates pointed out, "but it's the shipping costs that hurt because of the price of gas."
Yates also mentioned that cattle which area ranchers are having to cull from their herds are bring better prices in states north of Oklahoma. Even though most of the United States is suffering through a heat wave, other states have received more rain and pastures are not as dry, he explained.
A 2005 cattle census revealed that county ranchers have about 40,000 head of cattle, but without forage and hay, that number may drop. "The trouble is, they have no place to take them to sell (for a profit)," Yates said. Most cattlemen take their cattle to sales in Fort Smith, Stigler, Stilwell and Oklahoma City, he added.
Yates said county farmers are cutting corn at the present time, but he has not yet received a report on yields.
Soybeans are extremely stressed by the heat and lack of rain, Yates said, and if rain isn't received soon the yield will be greatly reduced.
Because of the high temperatures and lack of rain Gov. Brad Henry issued a burning ban Wednesday. (See related story on this page.)
At the Sallisaw Water Treatment Plant, Jarod Vinson, plant manager, reported that 5.38 inches of rain were recorded there since June. The average rainfall he said is about 5.4 inches for June and about 2.17 inches for July. Paul Richards, plant superintendent, reports Brushy Lake, which is Sallisaw's water supply, is at a normal level for this time of year. The lake is fed by a large watershed to the north.
Richards said less than an inch of rain - 0.02 - was recorded at the water plant north of Sallisaw Thursday evening, but other areas of the county received heavier rainfall.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA), which serves Sequoyah, Wagoner, Muskogee, Cherokee and Adair Counties, announced Wednesday that all of Oklahoma has been declared a disaster area due to losses caused by drought, extreme heat and high winds which have occurred throughout this year.
Jack Carlile, FSA farm loan manager, explained, "The disaster determination allows eligible farmers to apply for emergency loan assistance from the FSA."
The emergency loans may be used to purchase seed, fertilizer, fuel and repairs.
Carlile said, "A farmer can use the money for the most essential operations and living costs."
To be eligible for a loan, an applicant must have suffered losses as a direct result of the disaster and be unable to get credit from other sources. Loans covering actual losses are at an interest rate of 3.75 percent per year.
Carlile explained the amount of the loan is determined by certification of loss less any compensation received, repayment capacity of the borrower and the availability of security.
Loan applications will be accepted through March 27, he said. Farmers and ranchers who believe they qualify may contact the FSA office in Cherokee County at (918) 458-1040.
Gary McManus, Oklahoma Climatological Survey climatologist, and Howard Johnson, assistant state climatologist retired, said in a press release Wednesday that Oklahoma has had much hotter Julys than the July just concluded.
"Oklahomans are undoubtedly convinced...that the recently completed July was one of the hottest the state has ever seen," they said. "Close, but no cigar."
They reported the average temperature statewide, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet, did manage to tie 1914 and 1956 for the 14th warmest July on record at an average of 83.9 degrees, but that pales in comparison to the drought-induced heat of previous years. In July of 1954 the statewide average temperature soared to 88.1 degrees.
In fact, the top-10 warmest Julys are dominated by extreme drought years, including the Dust Bowl years of 1934 and 1936, in addition to the more recent drought episodes of 1998, 2001 and 1980.
McManus and Johnson said six different Julys have severely tested the upper limit of Oklahomans' heat endurance.
During the July 1901, temperatures exceeded 100 degrees somewhere in the state every day, reaching 110 degrees on 10 of those days.
In 1934, the Weather Bureau office in Oklahoma City calculated a statewide average daily maximum temperature of 102.8 degrees.
All summer crops failed during the brutal July of 1936.
Every reporting station in the state recorded triple digit temperatures at some time during July 1954 with 99 of the 129 stations reporting temperatures of 110 degrees or higher.
Thirty-seven heat-related fatalities were reported during July 1980 as temperatures reached 100 degrees or higher somewhere in the state every day.
Seventy-nine of 174 reporting stations recorded no measurable precipitation during that month. In July 1998, a heat wave and developing drought led to 20 fatalities during the month. The economic loss to agriculture and related enterprises, as estimated by the state Department of Agriculture, exceeded $2 billion.
The state's record high temperature of 120 degrees has been attained six times, three of those during July. The thermometer indicated 120 degrees at Altus on July 19, 1936; at Alva on July 18, 1936; and at Tishomingo on July 26, 1943.
The current year is still on track to finish as the state's warmest on record, with a January-July statewide average temperature of 62.8 degrees, 3.6 degrees above normal. July 2006 was also the state's 30th driest on record with a statewide average precipitation total of 1.76 inches, about an inch below normal.
McManus and Johnson reported the state's warmest Julys by average temperatures for the entire month as:
