Submitted Photo For the second year in a row, the lilacs in this shelterbelt have been hit hard by a fungal foliage disease called Pseudocercospora. (NDSU photo)

My friends in western North Dakota are breathing a sigh of relief this year.

After several years of drought, some timely rains are happening, and in decent amounts. Well, mostly timely, and mostly in decent amounts. There are still some droughty spots out there.

Nevertheless, conditions have improved substantially across a large region. There’s more forage production for livestock and crop yields should be good. The trees are doing better, too.

On the eastern and central side of the state, it’s a different story. Total rainfall for the year is slightly above average, and there have been some real soakers over the past few mont

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