EVEREST, Kan. — Drought conditions exist through much of Kansas and one farmer is seeing the impact.
“Right now, we’re incredibly dry," Lucas Heinen said. "The grass and our pastures are brown and that’s a little unusual for this time of year. Our ponds are basically empty unless they are spring fed.”
Heinen grows corn and soybeans at his farm in Brown County, Kansas.
“We have pretty deep, good soils here where I’m at, and that gives us a lot of buffer," he said. "If we can get just a little bit of rain, we can grow a pretty decent crop. As you go west, the soils get thinner, get sandier, and it takes more water to keep these crops going. They have less of a reserve. And so, when it gets dry, they feel the pinch first.”
A lack of rain is causing issues in some Kansas communities.
The University of Nebraska's drought monitor shows "extreme" and "exceptional" drought conditions in western and southern Kansas.
Heinen's farm in northeast Kansas is in an area considered to have "moderate" drought conditions.
“I’m not too concerned about the drought right here, but I’m concerned about my friends and colleagues west where they don’t have anything, and I feel their pain and I hope they hold their head up high," Heinen said.
Heinen said changes in technology managing seed and production practices have helped offset tough times.
"We’re growing way more than we would’ve had we not had this improved seed, fertilizer techniques," he said.
The life-long farmer said his ability to adapt has helped him manage the highs and lows of farming.
“I try not to live in fear," he said. "I try not to get too worked up about it. It’s out of my control anyway. We put the seed in the ground, and we do everything we can to make a bountiful crop and it either rains or it doesn’t."
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