A farmer operates a combine Thursday in a parched wheat field in eastern Fond du Lac County. The National Weather Service says a severe drought will likely result in crop or pasture losses. A number of communities in the region have imposed water restrictions because of a lack of rain. Credit: Mark Hoffman

SHARE

By of the

The drought in southern Wisconsin officially intensified from moderate to severe Thursday, with no rain in sight beyond a few scattered showers this weekend.

It could spell the end for some farmers who already are struggling - especially dairy farmers who are trying to recover from low milk prices in 2009, and who now face the prospect of buying expensive hay to feed cows this winter because their own crops are failing, several county extension agents said Thursday.

Normally plush pastures are dying. Alfalfa may be done growing for the season, which means no more hay when two more cuttings normally would be expected. Corn is at a critical stage, and looks better in some fields than others.

Farmers whose pastures have died are using corn silage and hay stored from last year to feed hungry cattle. That could leave them short on feed this winter if rain doesn't fall soon and this year's crops largely fail.

Should they sell all nonessential livestock? Should they truck their cows to greener pastures up north? What about harvesting stressed corn early for silage, instead of grain, so they can at least have something to feed cows this winter? If they speculated by contract for better corn prices in the fall, but won't be able to deliver the promised bushels, what will happen?

Should they just sit tight and hold out hope for rain to bring corn back from the brink?

Questions are pouring in to county extension agents, and the stakes are high.

"Things that happen today will have an impact three and six months and a year down the road," said John Shutske, program director of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the University of Wisconsin Extension.

At least farmers have one weapon they didn't have during the last severe drought in 1988: the Internet.

Shutske is looking at setting up an online brokering network for southern Wisconsin farmers whose pastures have died so they can make deals to ship cattle north to green pastures. Pasture rent likely will be at a premium, just like hay.

Farmers can already buy and sell hay and corn silage through the Farmer to Farmer Connection set up by the UW Extension - an electronic neighborhood bulletin board.

An army of experts in the UW Extension is posting advice daily at a special website set up for the drought of 2012 and is tracking developments across the state using computer mapping software. In addition to extension agents based in counties, the UW Extension has about 80 experts on three UW campuses with PhDs who can help tackle the issues. These experts are faculty at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls, all of which have agriculture programs.

Crowdsourcing software allows agents and others to put data on a map of the state and flag issues that need to be addressed quickly.

Farmers at least are better connected, and less alone, in these hard times.

"We broker relationships and add to the body of knowledge," Shutske said.

"Difficult times demand creative solutions," said Dick Cates, whose Cates Family Farm produces all-natural, range-fed Angus and Jersey beef near Spring Green.

He was referring to farmers looking for lush pastures in northern Wisconsin to truck livestock there when feed runs out here.

"It's not unheard of to move cattle around," Cates said. "But the typical farmer in Wisconsin doesn't think in those terms. There's a lot of grass in northern Wisconsin. And hay is getting very expensive."

Alfalfa generally stopped growing in much of southern Wisconsin, which has sent farmers scurrying in search of hay they can buy and store for winter.

"We are looking to purchase hay with a monthly budget instead of going more in debt. We are in a drought, and need feed," read one posting from a Green County couple at the Farmer to Farmer Connection website.

The couple needed 250 tons of hay.

Hay is reaching $250 to $300 a ton as supply and demand drive prices. In a typical year, good-quality hay sells for $150 a ton.

A typical dairy cow eats 30 to 40 pounds of hay a day, or consumes about two acres of crops - a combination of hay and grain - in one year, said Nolan Andersen, a dairy and livestock UW Extension agent in Dane County, which has roughly 50,000 dairy cattle.

"Feed is a big part of keeping a cow," Andersen said.

Dane County extension agent Lee Jennings said some farmers are chopping corn early for silage and are planning to plant a second crop in its place, hoping for rain in the weeks ahead. The concern with harvesting corn early is moisture trapped in the stalks; silage will rot if the leaves that store water aren't dry enough at harvest, he said.

The southern third of Wisconsin - which had been in a moderate drought - is now in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The severe drought area includes Milwaukee and Madison. Other portions of the state are in a moderate drought or abnormally dry.

Gov. Scott Walker on Monday declared a state of emergency in 42 counties.

The National Weather Service says a severe drought will likely result in crop or pasture losses. A number of communities in the region also have imposed water restrictions because of a lack of rain.

Thursday's updated drought report expanded moderate drought conditions northward to include almost all of Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac and Sauk counties. Abnormally dry conditions persist across central Wisconsin, all the way up to Wisconsin Rapids and just south of Waupaca, according to the weather service.

Temperatures are expected to rise as the weekend approaches, but don't appear headed as high as the 100-degree days of the recent heat wave.

Friday is expected to be in the mid-80s along the lake and lower 90s inland with higher humidity, according to WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) meteorologist Brian Gotter.

A weak cold front will bring scattered storms for the weekend with highs near 90 and continued higher humidity.

Early next week looks hot again with highs in the mid-90s through Tuesday before a cold front Tuesday night brings another chance for storms and cooler weather.

Mike Johnson of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report