Drought

Many farmers are having to sacrifice their corn crop due to the drought and hot weather. Some are selling it off for cattle feed. "People are willing to buy it because they need the feed and simply because the pastures are drying up," said Mick Rausch, a farmer in Garden Plain. "Everything is just drying up and we're not able to get the crops we'd like to get. " Rausch says he and other farmers were expecting a good crop this summer because the spring had plenty of rain. But instead, his corn is stunted because the rains stopped at a critical time in the corn's growth.  "It's effecting everything.

The heat and dry conditions don't seem to be letting up anytime soon leaving anyone who uses water with a big problem. To get a firsthand look at some of the most drought-stricken areas in the state Governor Sam Brownback is trekking around on what he calls a “drought tour”.  “I am always amazed by the hope and resilience that people have”, says Governor Brownback. Each day Governor Sam Brownback gets to hear tales of hope and resilience from people who are suffering in this drought but are trying to keep their spirits high.

It's bad and getting worse according to Marion County nature photographer Brenda Casanova. The amateur shutterbug has been out documenting the drought that's been drying up Kansas. Her photos capture a crisis emerging as the water recedes. "It reminds me of a movie--like Plant of the Apes or something," Casanova says. Casanova's photos of local bodies of water including the Marion Reservior and Marion County Lake capture images she finds disturbing. She says she's also seen deer wandering the highways in search of water and worries about other wildlife dehydrating and and starving.

They're called putting GREENS, but the recent triple-digit weather and lack of rain have them looking for like BROWNS. We talked with Ron Reese with Wichita's MacDonald Golf Course.  He says the courses buy city water just like everyone else.  But, he says, many courses use bermuda grass which tolerates heat better than other varieties.  Reese tells us golfers understand. "Most golfers understand with the heat we've had," Reese said, "they've got a yard at home, they know what its like trying to take care of their own yard and they understand we're doing the best we can to give them the best playing conditions we can through the summer" Reese says there is a difference between this summer and last summer.   The temperature is dipping lower overnight, which helps the grass recuperate.

It's maybe the only bright side of the brutal drought.  The Kansas weather been so dry this summer that mosquitoes have nowhere to breed.  Their eggs must hatch in standing water where the larvae develop into the flying bugs most of us hate.  The lack of mosquitoes is demonstrated by the fact that Park City's mosquito control truck has been out fogging just once this summer.  That's saving the city thousands of dollars. Meantime, the Eagle Valley Raptor Center's Ken Lockwood says lower mosquito numbers mean a lower risk for some diseases like West Nile virus.

No problems for 35 years and suddenly Harry Neel's house starts to crack. "The reason we kind of discovered it, the back door wouldn't shut real easy and we realized we were having problems with shifting," Neel says. The shifting of the foundation quickly caused cracks in the ceiling and walls of the basement.  Wayne Briggs of Briggs Basement and Foundation Repair says the damage is due to the forces of nature--namely the recent drought. "This is one of our busiest years ever," Briggs says.  "Drought, dryness in the ground, the ground shrinks and settles causing the house to go down.

Shopping isn't the only retail therapy this Black Friday.   People are also buying Christmas trees.     With the unseasonably warm temperatures this season, planters were worried about how the drought would affect sales. But one local farmer says that because the stores opened early on Thanksgiving day, that left plenty of time for people to pick out their trees Friday. "Yes, we looked at about 25 trees before we all agreed on one," says Dustin Green.

Kansas farmlands were scorched last summer by extreme heat, and no moisture. There were massive crop losses and ranchers had to sell off herds due to rising costs of feed and water. This spring, the rains have returned. But it may be too late to help your next grocery bill. "You come on out in the wheat and there is good moisture," said Sumner County Farmer Scott Van Allen. Van Allen likes what he sees this season. Timely rains have kept his 2,500 acres of wheat healthy so far, much different than last spring.

Hunters are getting ready for the start of pheasant and quail season this Saturday.. However, the ongoing drought has lowered the bird count this year. "It's going to be another tough year," said Regional Wildlife Supervisor Craig Curtis. "It's going to be challenging. " The Kansas pheasant and quail harvests typically rank among the top two or three in the country according to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. The department says "two years of drought and extreme summertime temperatures have reduced pheasant and quail numbers, especially in the southwest portion of the state.

County fair time means food, fun and 4H.  But don't be surprised to find this year's prized livestock not looking their best. "In both the sheep and goat department, numbers are down this year," Harvey County Fair sheep and goat superintendent Lisa Stockerbrand says.  "Part of it is due to the heat, and part of it is due to the higher feed costs because of the droughts and stuff. " So some kids have fewer animals to show, and at fairs across the Midwest many of the animals are underweight.