At this time last year, the talk around rural Minnesota was the terrible drought affecting producers – especially producers in the northwestern part of the state. Fast-forward to this year, and it seems like the only thing that has changed is the location. This year, instead of northwestern counties feeling the worst of the drought, it’s the central and southwestern counties. Otherwise, the situation is pretty much the same as last year: farmers running short of hay, forage and water for overheated livestock, and trying to salvage something from drought-stressed crops. What little rain has fallen this summer has been of the hit-or-miss variety. Fields in one area may look pretty good, and across the county or down the road you have fields that are in rough shape. As farmers, we make an incredible investment of time, energy and money in raising healthy animals and crops. It’s frustrating week after week to see the fruits of that labor shrivel because of uncooperative weather. As Governor Pawlenty said, “Minnesota farmers are among the best at what they do, but they can’t make it rain.” In mid-July, Gov. Pawlenty visited a farm near Little Falls to see the effects of the drought. Shortly thereafter, he made a request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for disaster assistance. On Tuesday, Aug. 7, just two business days after the governor made that request, USDA Secretary Mike Johanns announced that 24 Minnesota counties had been declared disaster areas. That means those counties, as well as 32 adjacent counties, will be eligible for low-interest loans from the federal government. State officials have also stepped up to provide several programs and services to help farmers cope with the impacts of the 2007 drought. For example, the Rural Finance Authority has made two loan programs available for drought-stricken farmers – one to help cover certain costs related to drought damages and the other to help farmers remain in good credit standing while having temporary trouble with cash flow due to the drought. As in 2006, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has worked with the University of Minnesota Extension Service to promote the “Haylist”, an Internet-based service matching producers needing hay and forage with those who have hay and forage to sell or donate. his service is especially important in light of the risks that can come with feeding drought-stricken feedstuffs to animals. For more details on this and other drought-related issues, please visit the MDA Web site at www.mda.state.mn.us. The dry conditions we’ve experienced the last two summers highlight the importance of risk management and crop insurance, and Minnesota farmers deserve credit for their high rate of participation in such programs. Of course, there are times when even the best risk management plan cannot protect a farmer from economic trouble. If the dry weather continues, there will no doubt be additional government efforts to help farmers. But more than any government assistance, I know Minnesota farmers just want a summer with seasonable weather.
