Drought

Western Kansas was once again hit with a dry summer…one where extreme heat kept the rain away. Water wells in towns like Otis are said to be very low because of the lack of rain. Officials are now asking anybody that lives in the drought affected area to do their best to conserve water. In the town of Beaver, a small restaurant known as “Mo's” is doing all they can to help the conservation process. "We have to be careful to conserve as much water as possible," says owner Leonard Moeder.

Nearly a dozen cities already have water restrictions in place, but the Kansas Water Office wants all communities to at least be prepared. Memos are being emailed or mailed to cities and towns acknowledging whether they have a water conservation plan on file with the state, and urging them to create one if they don't. The memo says, "While local conditions clearly vary, I urge everyone to conserve water where possible. " A "Drought Preparedness and Response" webpage has already been created to help communities if they need it. The state has confirmed eleven cities and parts of the three counties are already restricting water usage - among them are Caldwell, Augusta, Mulvane, Goddard, Burns and Hesston.

The extreme heat and lack of rain is causing headaches for a lot of farmers in the state. The lack of moisture is causing the crop to not be as good as originally hoped. Some farmers are looking into selling off their livestock to not just make up for their losses, but to make sure the cows don't starve. On Van Bowlinger's farm in Cheney, the dry conditions killed off much of his crop. So much that there's not enough hay to feed his 160 cows. He says the last time there was any significant moisture was during the winter.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has granted Kansas' Governor Sam Brownback's request for the USDA to issue a drought disaster declaration for 21 Kansas counties as well as 18 contiguous counties. “This is good news for farmers in Kansas Counties experiencing production losses caused by drought, wildfires, and high winds.  I appreciate the Secretary and USDA’s quick response to my request,” Gov. Brownback said in a statement. “This is worse than previous droughts I've seen during a lifetime in agriculture.  It already is affecting how farmers and ranchers are doing business – and that in turn will quickly impact local businesses and communities.  It will take a great deal of time and rain to reverse the impact of this drought.” Declaring these county agricultural disasters makes qualified farmers in both primary and contiguous counties eligible for emergency loans administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, as well as any other aid that may be available through the Supplemental Revenue Assistance payments (SURE)

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback issued today a State of Disaster Emergency and drought warnings and watches related to the extreme dry weather conditions in Southwest and Western Kansas. “While rainfall has been adequate for some parts of our state, there are many counties, especially in southwest Kansas, experiencing drought conditions and a high risk of fire hazards,” Governor Brownback said. The disaster declaration is for Stevens and Haskell Counties who were affected by a grassfire on Sunday.  The fire burned approximately 9,600 acres and damaged public infrastructure in both counties, including four bridges.

In December, Sumner County wheat farmer, Curt Hoobler's fields were a mixture of brown and green. Months, with little precipitation, left him worried about what would be left by spring. On Monday, those same fields were blanketed with a fresh layer of the snow he was hoping for. "My daughter called me and said 'hey, look outside it's snowing!' It's great, we finally got some precipitation. " Hoobler's main concern was for his soil. Without moisture it can heave up and damage the roots on his crop.

Kansas Citians 30 and under must be getting tired of listening to parents and grandparents talk about the good old days when the Royals were competitive. With 96 losses in 2010, the Royals finished last for the sixth time in 10 years. Their postseason drought, dating to the 1985 World Series, reached a quarter-century. This was a season when manager Trey Hillman got fired and general manager Dayton Moore wept at the announcement. It was also a season when reigning Cy Young winner Zack Greinke was 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA and complained about the organization.

The last time the Kansas City Chiefs won a preseason game their coach was Herm Edwards and their president was George W. Bush. The Chiefs, in fact, are the only team in the NFL that does not have a single preseason win since 2008. Getting ready for their final tuneup game this Thursday night against Green Bay, they are in danger of dragging an 0-4 preseason mark into the regular season for the second straight year. But in a 20-17 loss to Philadelphia last Saturday night, the Chiefs' starters did outscore the Eagles' starters.