REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- Many of the same areas continue to suffer from drought conditions and poor pasture and range conditions. Nebraska is enduring the worst of it for the major beef cow states.

The pasture and range conditions map shows some improvement in Nebraska, but the state still has more than 70% in the very-poor-to-poor category. The western side of the state continues to mostly be in D3 (extreme drought) and D4 (exceptional drought) conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor map. (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/…)

Other beef cow states of Kansas, Texas and Montana have also seen movement in pasture and range improvement with more in the good to excellent and fewer in the very poor-to-poor conditions.

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said this is because of a storm system moving into the Plains during the weekend. "We saw areas of heavy rain move across the Canadian Prairies all the way down to Oklahoma. Some areas from Nebraska through northern Oklahoma saw more than 3 inches of rain out of it," he said.

"This should really help to boost soil moisture and reduce some of the residual drought. This may be seen in next week's report," he added.

The Southern Plains are expected to see a front pushing through and be active much of the week, according to Baranick. The Northern Plains will have some showers early in the week, which will bring varying degrees of showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures are forecast to stay mild, except in Texas where a heat wave will continue.

The Midwestern states of Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana have continued to receive timely moisture and have more than 75% good-to-excellent pastures, while a small amount of pasture is very poor to poor.

The weekend is forecast to bring a front moving northward with showers in the Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies, along with some higher temperatures. "The heat will reduce soils moisture and increase stress, especially in areas that didn't get a whole lot of rain over the past week, or have lingering drought conditions," Baranick said.

The East Coast has continued to have a prolonged drought but has seen some improvements in pasture conditions recently due to rain. Florida, which is in the top beef cow states, saw a big shift in pasture improvement during the past week, with a 17% improvement in good-to-excellent pastures getting that mark over 50% and a 14-point improvement on very poor to poor with now only 24% in this category.

Some of the Southeast is dealing with the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur, which stalled over the region and brought excessive rainfall, said Baranick. Flooding has been a problem in some areas. Another front is expected in the region, and he said it could produce more slow-moving thunderstorms and potential for heavy rain. "That is the same front that will lift northward across the Plains and Midwest, bringing some heat and dryness for next week," he concluded.

**

Editor's note: Drought has been a major concern for the first half of 2026. Periods of heavy rainfall have helped some areas but haven't been good enough in others. How will this year's building Super El Nino play out for the rest of the summer and fall season? In the upcoming inaugural Beef Industry Exchange webinar, DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick breaks down variability and volatile storm patterns to share how an active summer season could save or doom U.S. pastures.

Don't miss John's session, as well as a high-risk, high-volatility cattle market update with Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart and a discussion on rebuilding the cow herd following extreme challenges, with University of Nebraska Lincoln Beef Systems Extension Educator Aaron Berger. Register now for the free Beef Industry Exchange webinar at 9 a.m. CDT on June 24: https://dtn.link/…

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

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.