Crops struggling in Wisconsin's drought
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Jesse Ritka reports Video by tmj4.com
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HARTLAND - From the farmer's fields, to the cattle and eventually to consumers, we're all feeling the impact of this severe drought Mother Nature has put us in.
"We live and breathe off of the weather," but breathing hasn't been so easy lately for farmers like Jim Renn.
"We are not going to have the big yields we were accustomed to in years past. That will not be there, we've missed that. Right now we're going to be happy to have some kernels on the ears," Renn tells TODAY'S TMJ4's Jesse Ritka.
39% of the soybean crop and 43% of the corn crop in southeast Wisconsin is considered to be in poor or very poor condition. And if the fields don't soak up enough rain, your wallet could dry up just like the ground.
"It's going to cost us more to feed the cows, we're going to have to go to areas that have gotten grass and hay, have gotten rain so that we can get that feed to feed our cows here," Renn explains.
The problem is much of the country is experiencing the same dry spell we are.
Ethanol will take a hit as well, especially if farmers decide to cut the crop early to feed their cattle.
"If the corn gets out too far, it's dry, it's not useful, it's higher in sugars but it doesn't have the kernel. So the cows aren't going to get as much use out of it, but it's better than dirt," Jim Renn says.
But he still clings to hope of a change in the weather, especially after this morning's rain. "We have a long way to go yet, and obviously we need rain and we might be able to get some rain to make it work. We'll see," Renn says.
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