Source:  POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 2/6/18

Drought has deepened across the U.S. over the last several months, leaving some farmers and ranchers concerned about what's to come in the growing season. Nearly 40 percent of the continental U.S. is in drought - the highest its been in almost four years, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Some regions are being hit harder than others: About 58 percent of the the South faces drought, while 44 percent of the West and High Plains do.

"You don't have to go Capetown in South Africa to understand the urgency of the water issue," USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said Monday on the David Webb Show, a Sirius XM program hosted by a conservative pundit. "You just go to our West Coast, [to] California, really our No. 1 agricultural state. They fear they're beginning another drought there after several years of drought a couple of years ago. That's where much of our vegetables and produce comes from."

Wheat growers waiting for rain: Almost half of winter wheat production is within areas experiencing drought, leaving many growers unsure of what to expect. Per USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, 79 percent of the wheat crop in Oklahoma was in poor to very poor condition during January. 

"The wheat is in really sad shape. The county agent here told me the other day he seeing people are putting their cattle on the wheat just to let it graze it out and be done with it. It's so dry that they're pulling it up," said Glenn Gore, an Oklahoma farmer who plants about 600 acres of wheat.

'Perfect recipe' for wildfires: Wildfire activity is also expected to increase this month, with a greater than usual likelihood for wildfires in states like Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. David Brown, director of the USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub, explained that the drought conditions would continue into wildfire season, one of the critical parts of the year for ag production. 

No signs of letting up soon: The strong drought conditions come during the second winter of La Niña, which typically creates a dry environment that may continue into spring. The U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook forecasts that drought will not let up until at least the end of April.