Drought is affecting farmers and ranchers alike.
Lyon County Extension ag agent Brian Rees says some producers in south-central and southeast Kansas have had to empty their pastures a month early because of the lack of water, while others decided to transport extra water for their herds. If the drought persists, as appears likely from national outlooks, other hard decisions may be coming — if they haven’t already been made.
Over the next few weeks, producers often send cattle out to farm ponds for water, but they do so with the risk of sending them into muddy areas — which increases the risk for illnesses and toxic algae.
Drought conditions have been deepening for weeks, even with the half-inch to over two inches of rainfall Monday, but Rees says conditions here are a lot better than they are further south — notably in Greenwood County, where drought conditions range from severe to exceptional.
