Скачать или смотреть Farmers in Eastern Ohio face challenges as dry conditions stress crops and livestock

Dry conditions continue to impact farmers across Eastern Ohio. And while this summer hasn't reached the extreme drought levels seen last year, the lack of steady rainfall has put stress on crops and livestock.

"The crop season started off slow because we were so wet in the spring,” said Don Jones, state executive director for the USDA Farm Service Agency of Ohio. “We had a lot of folks that maybe didn’t get all of their crops planted.”

Jones said that led to uneven harvests for many farmers. And while the U.S. Drought Monitor currently shows Ohio at a higher rate than last year, there is still a concern.

"Last year, we reached what they called D4 levels, and right now we’re only in D1,” Jones said. “So, we are dry. Don’t get me wrong, but we are not as severe as what we were last year.

"Federal funding is never a guaranteed thing. We’re hoping that there will be something, if we continue in the drought situation, but it won’t come until later."

As some farmers are already reporting challenges, Jones said it's too early to know how severe the rest of the season will be.

"Some areas, we'll say that they are worse than what they were last year, but the drought monitor map that we’re watching, which is done through the U.S. Drought Monitor Service, has not indicated that yet,” Jones said. “But it’s still early September and I’m not saying it can’t change. It changed quite a bit from two weeks ago until last week."

STORY: https://wtov9.com/news/local/farmers-...
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