Back Home by Chris Hardie
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Gambling is ubiquitous in our world today but farmers have been high rollers long before casinos, lotteries and sports betting.
From market price fluctuation, geo-politics and the ever-changing weather, every growing season is a gamble for our farmers. And while they are often connected, this year the dry weather is concerning enough.
According to the National Weather Service, only 3% of Wisconsin was not experiencing abnormally dry or worse conditions as of Sept. 7. At the worst end of the scale 2.44% of the state is now classified as being in exceptional drought – a spot in Crawford, Juneau, Monroe, Richland and Vernon counties in southwest Wisconsin and a north shore location along Lake Superior between Bayfield and Superior.
This is the first time since the U.S. Drought Monitor started in 2000 that any of the state has been put into the exceptional drought category. Nearly a quarter of the state is also in extreme to exceptional drought conditions and 84% is classified as being in a moderate drought or worse.
To state the obvious, there has been a severe lack of rain this growing season. From April 1 through Sept. 5, precipitation deficits in west central Wisconsin where I live have ranged from near normal to 14 inches below normal. Coupled with the temperatures that neared or topped 100 degrees on Labor Day weekend and what was green is rapidly turning brown.
The National Weather Service says small streams in the Central Sands portion of Wisconsin are going dry, which hasn’t happened since the dry years of 2012 and 2013.
The impact on the crops depends on location. Some corn is holding its own and other fields have turned brown from the lack of moisture. Many pastures have dried up.
The lack of pasture means some farmers are having to feed hay, which also has been impacted by the lack of rain. I have only taken two cuttings on my hay fields this summer due to the dryness.
I’ve been through a few drought years, including 2013 when I had 50 sheep to feed. Now my days of feeding livestock are over, as we decided this summer to part with our remaining cow, donkeys and goats. While that was not an easy decision, it’s a relief to know that I will not have to purchase hay.
Prices and demand for hay skyrocketed last fall and are heading north again. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Hay Market Demand and Price Report for Aug. 28 reported prime small square bales are averaging $383 a ton or about $7 to $8 a bale and large round bales selling for $177 to $220 a ton.
“Dry conditions have a strain on hay supplies,” the report said. “Top quality alfalfa continues to have a steady to strong market. Many are looking ahead to corn silage harvest soon to fill the forage void.”
Even lower quality hay prices are up, with large round bales that weigh 1,200 to 1,400 pounds that normally sell for $35 to $45 a bale going for an average of $118.
The larger picture will include more culling of herds as farmers weigh the cost of purchasing more expensive feed. And the impact of the drought – which is widespread across the nation’s heartland – will certainly lower corn and soybean yields. Milk prices also are down.
Farmers impacted by the drought looking for help can check the resources available through a Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer protection web page at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/DroughtResources.aspx
While rain this time of year will do little to help the annual crops, we still need it. Replenishing the subsoil moisture can give hope for next year, when the annual gambling game starts all over.
Chris Hardie spent more than 30 years as a reporter, editor
