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Subscribe to RSSFarmers in Missouri and across the Midwest are suffering through a historic drought leaving behind scorched pastures and dried-up ponds. NBC's Jay Gray reports.
“Normally they begin in July and go through the middle of August, but this year they started in June. So we've had an extraordinary amount of heat and lack of water."
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack designated all of Missouri’s 114 counties as disaster areas, enabling farmers to access federal assistance, in mid-July. As much as 93 percent of the state is suffering through extreme drought conditions.
David Franscka said it's the worst his family has seen in more than 50 years of dairy farming.
Paying more for feed than getting for milk
"This year, with the intense heat we've had and the lack of rain, we've had only two measurable rains since April 30,” said Franscka.
NBC's Jay Gray reports from a dairy farm in Bolivar, Mo., where farmers are struggling to pay sky-high hay and feed prices for their livestock, spurred on by the drought.
Ponds have dried up, forcing his family to haul as much as 8,000 gallons of water each day to the cattle herd. Pastures aren't producing any hay or grass for grazing either, leaving many farmers, like Franscka, with no choice but to buy feed – which right now costs more than the milk he's producing.
"'We've spent in excess of $150,000 over the last three months just on the added costs,” he said. “Anytime you're getting less for your milk than you're paying for your feed – it's not going to come out.”
“That's what's discouraging, knowing you’re going in the hole everyday money-wise,” he said. “But you have to keep hoping and holding on, thinking it's going to change."
Some smaller farms have been forced to close down – selling-off their cattle for slaughter.
Drought conditions plague much of the United States after a summer of scorching temperatures and a lack of rain. The dryness is affecting America's farmland, threatening crops like soybean and corn.
Franscka said he's sold 60 out of the 1,000 head of cattle he had at the start of the summer – to help pay the bills and keep the milk flowing until the rain does.
"You persevere day to day, and just try to do what you can do today to make it till tomorrow. Just keep praying to the good Lord that he's going to send some rain,” he said.
It’s a prayer that continues to echo across Missouri, and the entire Midwest.
As the drought continues, ranchers worry for the future especially now that the total number of cattle in the U.S. is already the smallest in 60 years. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports.
More coverage of the drought:
Drought sends Mississippi into ‘uncharted territory’
‘Best year ever’ for some farmers outside drought region
Drought expected to take toll at checkout
Americans tell their story of #Drought2012
In drought-stricken Wisconsin, farmers helping farmers
Emergency well drilling brings relief to farmers stricken by drought
Have you been affected by the worst drought in more than 50 years? Share your photos with us on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter with the tag #Drought2012. You can also upload your photos in the box below.