The Emergency Drought Committee met on Tuesday and voted to approve a new program aimed to provide emergency drought assistance to Oklahoma producers. The application period opens March 9 and runs through June 30, 2026.

The application will be available at local conservation districts and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission webpage beginning March 9. Seminole County has two Conservation District offices. The Konawa office is located at 102 E. 1st Street, one block east of the post office. The phone number is (580) 925--3117. The Wewoka office is located at 1400 Indian Road. That phone number is (405) 257-5578.

Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus attended Tuesday’s meeting and provided a drought forecast. Gary reported that the majority of the state is under heightened drought conditions, with most areas in D1 (Moderate Drought), as reported by the National Drought Monitor.

Eligible producers may apply for the following practices: Pasture Tap, Watering Facility, Pumping Plant, Pipeline, Pond Cleanout, and Water Well.

Applications are firstcome, first-served, and full program guidelines will be available soon on the Commission’s website: conservation. ok.gov.

While extremely dry conditions have persisted lately for nearly all the state, forecasted rainfall beginning this weekend will likely put a dent in the drought.

“The rain totals are still iffy, but we could see 1-3 inches across several areas of the state,” McManus wrote Thursday in his daily weather ticker housed on the Oklahoma Mesonet site. “Keep in mind these forecasts look like a blanket of uniform rainfall, but with the convective nature of the possible storms, there’ll be some hitting and missing, of course.