kwch.com/weather/kwch-news-sba-kansas-farmers-get-relief-with-rain-20120927,0,4345997.story
By Samantha Anderson
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
5:51 PM CDT, September 27, 2012
(ABILENE, Kan.)
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Tobey Watt has been farming with his father, Roger, for more than 20 years. This past summer has been a tough one for Kansas farmers. Watt said that he lost half of his milo corn crop due to the lack of rain and high temperatures.
"It's very frustrating," said Watt. "It's just like when you study for a final exam in a college course and for some reason there's some questions that you didn't study and you don't answer those questions right. It doesn't matter how hard you work."
Other farmers in the area are feeling it as well according to Carl Garten with Kansas State Research, Central Kansas District.
"The big impact on economy is when there is no production at all," said Garten. "When you could be making seven or eight dollars a bushel or more."
The recent rain has given Watt and other farmers in the area hope for their newly planted winter wheat.
"The moisture that we've received so far is beneficial to our wheat," said Watt.
Farmers are busy preparing for the wheat season. Planting is starting now and will continue into October, but once the seeds are sown much of the crops future is out of their hands.
"It's extremely dependent on the weather," said Watt. "For the most part, the weather is our cash register. Weather delegates to us what type of year we are going to have."
Farmers in the area won't know for sure what type of year they will have until it comes time to harvest the wheat next summer.
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