WIND DAMAGES CONTINUES IN GREAT PLAINS--USDA
Land damaged by wind in the 10-state
Great Plains amount to nearly 3.7 mln acres so far this year,
one-third more than the 1970-84 average and 300,000 acres more
than the amount reported at this time last year, the U.S.
Agriculture Department said.
    In addition to the land reported damaged, another 15 mln
acres are unprotected and susceptible to wind damage, 34 pct
more than the 1970-84 average, but about one mln acres less
than last year.
    The states hardest hit were in the Northern Plains, where
wind damaged 2.4 mln acres, an increase of 1.5 mln acres over
the amount reported a year ago, the department said.
    Suffering the most damage in the Northern Plains were
Montana (1.3 mln acres), and North Dakota (518,500 acres.)
    Of the five Southern Plains states, only Colorado reported
an increase in wind-damaged land over last year, it said.
    Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas reported a reduction
in damaged land, due in part to emergency conservation tillage
practices and in part to rainfall and weather conditions.
    Of the land damaged, 96.2 pct was cropland, 3.5 pct
rangeland, and 0.9 pct was other land.
    Inadequate snow cover and high winds, coupled with a lack
of erosion control practices such as windbreaks and
conservation tillage, contributed to the increased wind damaged
land in some areas, the department said.
    Data on wind damage is collected during November-June.
 Reuter
