The drought monitor report as of Tuesday, Dec. 3 is basically unchanged from two weeks ago. Almost one-third of the state is totally out of dry conditions (mostly Southwest and South Central Kansas). About 40% is just abnormally dry and the rest in moderate drought. South of Great Bend is totally out of drought while Barton County is primarily in moderate drought with the south and southeast portions just abnormally dry.  

The six to ten-day outlook (Dec. 10 to 14) indicates a 33 to 40% chance of leaning above normal for temperatures and a 33 to 50% chance of leaning below normal for precipitation. The eight to 14-day outlook (Dec. 12 to 18) indicates a 40 to 50% chance of leaning above normal for temperatures and near normal for precipitation. We are looking drier.

Things are quieting down as we head into December except for livestock producers. It’s a good time to stop and discuss something people often don’t think about, the ecosystem we purposefully create – the agroecosystem. Today let’s discuss what it is in general terms and next week the difference between a “natural” and agroecosystem.

Briefly, an ecosystem consists of all the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) elements for a given area and their interactions. This can be a small area, say your flowerbed or crop field or as large as the entire planet. The abiotic factors include the following:

• The climate/weather: temperature, moisture, wind, humidity, cloud cover, etc. It is a function of the long-term weather (climate); for example arid, semiarid, sub humid, and humid for moisture and in our case, temperate for climate.

• The soil type, structure, chemistry, etc. Here we think about the sand, silt, and clay content; how much organic matter is present; the amount of pores and their distribution; the soil pH, and the content of essential nutrients and other compounds.

The biotic element is more than the plants present and includes:

• Plants, but not just flowering plants but nonflowering and nonvascular plants.

• Single-celled organisms such as bacteria, protozoa, and amoeba.

• Animal life ranging from nematodes to many other invertebrates such as insects, arachnids, crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes, and earthworms.

• Vertebrate animals including moles, voles, mice, rats, reptiles, and amphibians.

• The fungal community which is much more diverse than simply mushrooms and toadstools, playing an important part in decomposition and nutrient cycling.

• Viruses which aren’t living as we define it but also aren’t “dead.”

The living organisms in an area are in large measure determined by weather and climate patterns along with the other abiotic factors mentioned above. Within the community of living organisms, each tries to find its niche where it can do best.  Individuals within the community compete with each other and other species for resources from space to water and nutrients. While an ecosystem can reach stability and equilibrium, it’s a very dynamic system. 

Dr. Victor L. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for Barton Community College. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.