Drought taking its toll on Casey County farmers

CASEY COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — When Todd Harne is not busy at his job at the bank, there is a good chance he is out on the farm.

This harvesting season is different from most; his second job is not providing the same level of support, with heavy rain early in the summer and almost none in recent weeks.

“Normally 1500 bales [of hay], maybe closer to 2000 on a really good year, barely made 500, so, just not there,” Harne said.

The fields he usually uses for haymaking, eventually selling, have grown Johnson grass, which he does not want in the hay. So, he is now cutting it lower than usual to avoid more seeds from spreading.

“I might have a total loss on that field. I may end up just turning it and just doing a whole new, brand new reseeding, later this fall, if we start getting some rain,” Harne said.

This drought is also affecting the pastures where his cattle eat, causing him to transition them to hay more than two months sooner than usual.

“I don’t want them having to work that hard trying to get their bellies full. I’d rather put a roll of hay out and let him eat hay instead of trying to be out here picking all day,” Harne said.

The cornfield is not doing any better. He said the sporadic rain has caused the ears to grow inconsistently.

Harne said it may be too late for more rain to solve his problems, but farmers do not give up easily; any help from the skies will be welcome.