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AP
The 1,000-foot view from inside a Blackhawk helicopter that Gov. Scott Walker and officials from his administration took to survey crop damage across southern Wisconsin on July 20, 2012, in Burlington, Wis.
WEST ALLIS, Wisc. – Farmer Scott Bayer normally looks forward to the Wisconsin State fair, spending all year, preparing his prize beef cattle. But this year’s preparations have been a lot harder for him than normal.
Bayer’s cows are losing weight since they are not eating as much as usual. And he is getting a lot less sleep because he has been forced to do most of his work at night: all due to the searing heat wave which has blanketed his farm in Central Wisconsin.
“It takes a lot more work to make sure cows are cool and relaxed, to make sure they put on weight. The drought has been very difficult on us producers, our stress levels are definitely higher,” Bayer said.
But it was not all doom and gloom at the 161-year-old state fair. Despite the record heat, attendance at the 11-day fair reached record highs, and some farmers found help – from others farmers.
‘Farmer to farmer support’
“There is a real feeling of let’s get together, let’s be a team, let’s be a partner, let’s make this work and get through this tough time,” Wisconsin State fair CEO Rick Frenette told NBC News.
“The fair has brought rural and urban people together. It’s allowed rural people to get together as one big family and talk about what’s going on with the drought. And it lets our urban guests know what’s going on with this drought and how hard it is for our people in Wisconsin right now to put food on the table,” added Frenette.
CNBC's Jane Wells reports on some genetically modified seeds that are specifically made to fight droughts.
Farmers in the southern half of Wisconsin have been hardest hit, with many losing their crops to the historic drought. Some have been looking at reducing livestock numbers due to a lack of feed, but farmers in northern and central parts of the state are all chipping in to help.
In central Wisconsin, potatoes, sweet corn, beans and peas are grown with the help of irrigation, harvested in July and early August, and then the fields normally sit idle until a new crop of vegetables is planted in the fall. But this year, farmers from that part of the state are planting an extra crop of grass to be used as feed by their drought-affected neighbors.
“That’s farmer to farmer support,” Wisconsin’s Secretary of Agriculture Ben Brancel told NBC News. “In mid-July I would say the farmers were very depressed. They had put all their effort into planting their crops, only to see them start, and then wither and not produce anything.”
But with recent rainfalls easing up the situation a bit, spirits are lifting a bit, too. “Farmers are very resilient and there is a lot of optimism they will make it through this challenging year,” said Brancel.
The state government has also opened up conservation land for the growing of feed. Brancel has also urged farmers to consider alternatives for getting feed – since negative cattle sales have a ripple effect. It can mean there are fewer cows to produce milk for Wisconsin’s cheese companies and a reduced need for equipment and supplies from other businesses.
In addition Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker and the University of Wisconsin-Extension program have collaborated to create a “Farmer to Farmer Network” to help connect farmers online who are in need of feed because of the drought, with others who have it.
Since most show vegetables and plants are grown specifically for the fair, and prize fair animals receive special feed and care, the drought had little impact on the size and quality of this year’s exhibits, according to Kristin Chuckel, the state fair’s media relations manager. Although, one sign of the drought might be that no state record ribbons were awarded this year.
More coverage of the drought:
Drought sends Mississippi into ‘uncharted territory’
‘Best year ever’ for some farmers outside drought region
Forced to sell cattle during drought, dairy farmers ‘just keep praying’ for rain
Drought expected to take toll at checkout
Americans tell their story of #Drought2012
In drought-stricken Wisconsin, farmers helping farmers
Emergency well drilling brings relief to farmers stricken by drought
Have you been affected by the worst drought in more than 50 years? Share your photos with us on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter with the tag #Drought2012. You can also upload your photos in the box below.
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as a 7th generation farmer here, we drilled water well's back in the 80's. Our crops flourish at my expense.
Farmers now days are lazy, too cheap to drill for water ( no esxcuse there is water everwhere ) and would rather collect an insurance check on a failed crop instead, just so the insurance companies can spread their loss thru everyones insurance rates all across america...
get rid of the farmers if they don't have 3 + water wells in current operation
Jose: I would have to agree. For too many farmers, crop insurance and other subsidies have turned agriculture into a bigger hog at the government trough than all the people on food stamps and welfare. What was intended to reduce the risk from farming has removed all risk. Is it "too farmed to fail" ?
I agree. Farming is a business, and not all farmers have a good business sense and deserve to go under. Farmers that have a sentimental "love for the land" need to realize that maybe they should be planting a garden as a hobby and leave the business of agriculture to those who are innovative, efficient, and take measures to reduce their risk.
Agreed. There's just a lot of people going into the "business" of farming, not even knowing what farming means. There's just a lot of lazyness going around. I see to many farmers going, "god willing", or "lord help us", or even "we pray for the lord for rain". You can not count on god to water your crops, or feed your cattle. You either have to work out the problem, or get out of the "business".
Jose is right, you gotta dig those wells. Unfortunately what Jose doesn't know, nowadays you need a state PERMIT to drill to the aquafier, even if it's on your own damn property.
Look it up.
There is water everywhere? Since when? There are many places where drilling is practically infeasible because they have used up all the water closer to the surface - its gone. They are drilling down to deep aquifers. When thats gone its gone.
A concept the GOP needs to learn.
Jose,
Weren't you just posting as an expert on immigration? And do you ever have anything positive to say?
My family were farmers in Minnesota and North Dakota during the last Depression and Dust Bowl. One of my grandfathers lost his farm, and the loss pretty much killed him. He never stopped feeling like a failure and died of pneumonia not too long after.
My heart goes out to all the ranchers and farmers who are being hurt by this drought. I know that many of you struggle to compete with the agribusiness farms out there. It's a hard life. But I also know that most of you wouldn't want to do anything else. Loving the land is something not everyone understands.
I am also not surprised at the way in which farmers are reaching out to help one another. Farmers and ranchers are like that. They're part of a very special club, some of the best people in the world. May you survive this terrible year and go on to prosper in the future. You deserve to do well.
I agree with you. I grew up on a farm and know how hard it is to get by some years. Back in the 1980s when interest rates reached 20% or higher, a lot of farmers lost their land. It was actually the bad farmers who lost their land first and they actually faired better because land prices did not fall until later. In the 1970s a mile wide tornado crossed my grandfather's farm and destroyed more than half the sheds and barns. I've seen a few droughts come through but nothing like the farmers in the midwest are suffering this year, a lot of it in the same area that was under water last year. Farmers are the backbone of this country. Nobody else can produce crops like the American farmer, if given a good year. I hope all of your coming years are good. This country and the whole world depends on you all.
That's what people in Wisc. do for each other. Maybe the sorry case East coasters could learn from this. Your neighbor can be your friend, not someone to compete with.
the farmers growing the grass probably aren't going to be giving it to the cattle owners. They too will make some money on the grass.
Grass prices are up this year with the drought. Most of the time it is not profitable to grow grass between regular crops.
With prices rising on everything, unless they have forward contracts based on prices set in early spring, all the farmers should make out OK, as long as they survive to market.
The only ones who will be hurt are the fixed income buyers and the taxpayers.
EE Guy
Here is to hoping Wisc. supports their own at the polls in November. I am from Washington State and I know I am going to vote for some one, indirectly, from Wisc.
The Great big forests have been stripped from most of the Earth for Greed of Money by the Wicked. The trees are our Main Source of Oxygen on this Plant.
The Forest Trees scrubs the Pollution out of the air and makes Oxygen from the rain and dirt that it grows in.
The Forest Trees do more than just make Oxygen they stop Soil Erosion, just Look at the 1930 Dust Bowl. Greed by our Government taxes led farmers to clear cut all their Forest and farm all the land they were being Tax on. They had to farm it to pay for the Taxes. Why leave the Trees when food crop makes Money. This did not Help the Depression that effected most all Worldwide. Near the end of this year 2012 and next year 2013 more than 100 million will suffer from Malnutrition lack of food and Dehydration lack of water. Many will not make it and die!
Soon many will run out of Safe Drinking Water from pollution going into the world’s water supply.
In the United States of America alone more than 45 Million Americans Received Food Stamps and that number is going up every day every year for more than 3 years in a row now.
The Pollution and CO2 Carbon Dioxide go into the Tree Bark as a shield from most bugs so they do not eat the tree.
Less Forest less Oxygen this is why the moon. That has no Oxygen is very cold on the side without Sun Light, And hot as ever on the side with Sun Light. Way too cold and too hot to live there. You would need at least 10 times the Energy we use on Earth to even live there and life on the Moon would be very short.
The cost of food is going to go through the roof so to speak To The MOON and meat soon will be the most costly thing in the store World Wide. The GOV is stockpiling food for who the poor, the rich, Americans or give it to those that would cut off you head if you are caught in their country with The Lord's Word a BIBLE. Your gov for many years has been giving millions in food to countries that hate you that carry a BIBLE. It is Illegal and Forbidden to be caught with a Bible and end up like Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.
The Lord's Little Helper
Paul Felix Schott
dirp
That's right. Let them all fail. Then you can grow your own food and hunt your own meat. Are you any good at that? If they get no help, then there won't be anyone to put food on your table. Does that sound like a better option? Food prices are going up. Get used to it. Aren't you the one that admires capitalism? The law of supply and demand? Because the supply is pretty damn limited this year.
My uncle was a farmer all his life. Most of the time he was struggling just to survive. But he loved the land and he loved to farm. Family farmers are good people. They hate asking for handouts. But they hate the idea of selling out to the agribusiness people even worse.
You need to quit reading Ayn Rand and learn that most people are good and most people need help at some point in their lives.
The exception to that might be the intolerant, judgmental right wingers. But hey, there is an exception to every rule.
Bull. They just don't consider special tax breaks, subsidies, receiving money for leaving some fields fallow, and so one to be handouts.
The only reason congress would pay some farmer NOT to plant fields, is to raise the price in food. Ask yourself, "which congressmen/women wants me to stop puting crops in my fields."
And then ask yourself...why? Why would certain members of congress and senators, tell you that they'll give you money for NOT planting crops? Why? Why would our own government tell someone not to plant crops? What possible reason? Who has the most to gain, for not planting crops? No one has asked that question.
Guess what. One of the worst droughts that anyone can remember, and the price of wheat...corn...soybean have all skyrocketed. All that demand, and a drought helped destroy entire stocks and fields...someone must be making a LOT of money...but who bought up all that stock? The U.S. government..and then they sold it to other countries, at higher prices, due to the "drought". I mean who could have possibly have known to stop farmers from planting crops, not knowing a drought would cause what current crops prices to skyrocket?
Someone made a lot of money. I can tell you right now, it wasn't the farmers.
Not all farmers are small business people. There are huge swaths of land owned by agri-business and really, many of the "small" farmers are multimillionaires.
If you want to take a moment out and read up on this topic you'll find most farmers have learned and are insured against this sort of catastrophe. They aren't too worried beyond losing this years crops. The consumer on the other hand should be worried.
That said, if this is a sign of things to come we should all be worried. Water and food will go to the wealthy. In the new economy brought to us by Big Business, everyone else will be on their own.
I notice Scott Walker isn't ponying up any help for suffering in his state. Welcome to the new Republic, neo-cons. And remember when the revolution starts thanks to you, we're all very well armed.
Farmers who get those "special tax breaks" and "paid to let fields go fallow" tend to be BIG FARMA----like Con-Agra and not the smaller Farmers who can't afford to let fields "go fallow" and risk the loss of top soil etc.
I won't get started on the use by BIG FARMA of herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. We need our smaller family farms and I do grow my own food---We need to use more organic fertilizer---I do own "Poo Pets" and use them in the garden (it's a small garden) and I don't rely on BIG FARMA.
In short I do try and practice what I preach and I do as much as I can to help local farmers. I would like to see the end of BIG FARMA sucking on the Governments teat like a calf and the subsidies going to those for whom they were originally meant.
Of course they have to help them selves, all the bailout money is going to car company's.
Hmmm, tractors, and tractor trailers, and those silver horse caboose, and cattle cars...yes. Get rid of all that bailout money that helped create vehicles, tools, and equipment for those farmers. :p
Point you finger right back that their Koch-owned governor. You get the government you deserve.
Koch brothers = new world order
It is my understanding via that evil news media NPR that the Koch Bros OWN the Tea Party and supply much of the funding for their candidates.
Organized anything seems to be an evil all its OWN!
Koch, Klan, Nazi or New World Order by any other whatever is still as putrid!
I was checking out a story I thought was positive re: the drought etc. - should have known better:-)
KeyOrion,
I can't even figure out what you're saying.
I believe in the saying that: One should not bitch about farmers while your mouth is full.
I grew up on a farm established in 1876. Currently still in our family.
The drought is not the problem. There are cycles (I know this will upset some that think "global "warming is causing this. A whole different story, called Evolution). We are already into a "Dust" bolt era. Just my opinion, but stay with me here.
The government in the 70's told farmer's if you get bigger we will subside you. If you don't get bigger you will go out of business (remember this was also the time we were selling tons of grain to Russia and other countries). So farms enlarged. They got rid of their fence rows and smaller plots that held the water, decreased the wind and sun damage, and quit rotating the crops( they are just getting back to rotating, maybe too late) They poured in the antibiotics, herbicides and pesticides to reduce cost and increase production). We now have a food supply of a appealing appearance, but less nutrition(soil not being cared for properly to supply the nutrients needed ), erosion( building up a depleted top soil( is time consuming and expense to maintain) and excelled cost.
Remember the government forced the same on utilities. What choices do you really have to supply your electric? When your power goes out, is it do lack of maintenance of the lines? What about the few companies that actually supply our fossil fuels? Airlines, Automobile makers. There were made to go big or get out. They bought each other till we were down to what 4-6 companies. Subsidised by the government. Still subsides in place, expect there is only one oil company still totally owned by the USA -Marathon, all others are owned by foreign companies, partially or whole. For you that don't know, BP, actually is British petroleum. They have been paying over 6 dollars a gallon for over a decade. Do you really think they care you are paying 4? How is that working out for you?
The government is now in Medicine. Hospitals will get subsidies to enlarge and squeeze out the competition. There are subsidies for rural hospitals. The large hospitals are taking over the smaller hospitals. In many states there are now maybe 6 hospital "systems". So bad practices influence all hospitals in that non profit ( my mind Corporations). More hospital infections, more medical errors, less customer service, more waiting time ( I remember when you called your Family Dr you could get an appointment within your life time), more cost.
Ok the point is: how is this all working or YOU? The government, local, state and Washington, Legislation and the Supreme Court are Your employees. How long are you willing to keep paying them better than you get paid, more benefits and better life style for Serving our country ?
Back to not bitching while your mouth is full. It will fill your bellies, cause disease with lower nutrition but it is plentiful. Farming, teaching, working in Medicine, and Serving our county didn't used to be a job. It used to be a life style, till the Government got involved.
We used to work for a living, till the Government got involved. We worked at what were passionate about. Not always able to keep up with the Jones, but we slept well. Hard work, thinking ahead, making changes as need arises (not by dictations from someone we never even met). When one's work is a life style, not a just a job, we just seemed to do better.
It used to be that a legislator didn't even get paid. They were Serving Their Country. They had real life style jobs. They stayed at others homes while in Washington or the State Capitols. They did there legislator jobs in a few months so they could get back to way of making a living. Now their living is off you and I. And it is at a much greater rate than you or I will ever see. It is Their job security keeping us dependent on them. Do we have even a sliver of our courage and strength that we had even 30 years ago, let alone when we started this country to turn this around?
your point seems to be that the government needs to get out of industry -- I agree, especially in that government needs to let the markets flow and stop subsidizing and trying to manipulate markets and industries. However we do need a judicious amount of regulation. Our country is in an economic dive in part because of lack of regulation in the mortgage lending business and banking industries. The environment also needs regulation and management, otherwise we'll ruin the planet for ourselves and future generations.
Bennefit festival for the farmers this Saturday in Madison. #!/events/499896060027676/
Wait. You mean people getting together and helping each other? By themselves? Without the involvement of big government? That's so un-Democratic party.
yeah, in your neck of the woods, it's called a militia.
erigation could be the way to go, at least till the death of the gasoline automobile, and dirty coal-fired power plants. if we just continue to ''pray'' for rain we could starve. first to suffer? the poor, and family pets as pet food continues to sky-rocket. I personally blame alot of the climate change on the massave tree-loss in the the last 150-years. I plant at least 4-new trees every year. on my property, friends and family,and at the church nearby.
Drought stricken Wisconsin? Let's all watch their small-ball politicians belly up to the taxpayer bar for a free happy hour relief handout. Paul Ryan and Scott Walker will be the first to have their greasy palms out.
I know many Wisconsonites and like them all very much; I just hate their politics. Hope it all works out; in the end, we're all Americans.