The drought experienced by everyone in southwest Mississippi is causing more harm than dead grass and wildfires — farmers are suffering, too.
Pike County cattleman Ed Griffin said he is worried about his hay supplies lasting through the winter after feeding it to his 300 cows earlier than normal.
“I know I’ve fed up a good bit of feed, especially hay,” he said. “If I run out, then that’s when it starts costing — when I have to start buying hay from other people.”
Pike County Extension Agent Lamar Adams said the grass is drier this summer than it has been all year, which can cause crops to under-perform.
“Livestock producers are feeding animals hay that they normally wouldn’t feed this early,” he said.
Conditions are not right to grow ryegrass, a cool-season grass typically eaten by livestock during November and December, Adams said.
“Ryegrass should have been planted by now and ready to turn livestock in on,” he said.
Adams added that because of the lack of rainfall and dry soil, the winter grass isn’t ready for cattle, causing farmers and producers to feed their livestock hay instead.
“If you keep feeding hay, we’re going to run short on hay supplies,” he said.
Griffin said he doesn’t know how the stock of hay will be this fall since he has already had people asking to buy his.
“I can’t sell it because I have to have it to carry me through the winter,” he said.
So far, hay is the only loss Griffin is looking at, but he said he knows some people who aren’t as fortunate.
“I know of producers who have had to sell their cattle because they didn’t have enough feed,” he said.
When the spring rolls around and cattle are ready to be sold, Griffin said he hopes he will make his money back then.
Another problem dairy and poultry farmers in particular may face is the decrease in milk yield and productivity of livestock, Adams said.
Griffin said his calves are usually fat and healthy by this time of year, but that’s not the case this year.
He said since the mother cows aren’t able to graze as they normally would, it takes a toll on the quality of milk they produce.
A more obvious consequence of the drought is that ponds are drying up.
Griffin said the ponds on his land, used to water the cows and pasture, are lower than he’s ever seen them.
“I’ve got several ponds and they’re all down low,” he said. “I’m not in any danger of them running out of water but I’ve been out here about 25 or 26 years and this is the lowest I’ve seen them.”
The good news is there may be some form of monetary relief for producers who have lost profit.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency is offering emergency loans through the Pike County office, said A. Rodney Johnson, FSA Farm Loan Manager in a press release Monday.
The announcement comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack declared on Wednesday that Mississippi and parts of Louisiana have seen a major disaster caused by drought intensity for eight or more consecutive week during the growing seasons.
Griffin said he may apply for the loan, but isn’t sure yet.
“I’ve applied for them in the past but this not my sole means of income,” he said. “This is a hobby.”
The USDA said emergency loans are a way for producers who can’t obtain credit from local lenders to cover losses from designated disasters.
Qualified farmers in southwest Mississippi and Louisiana may borrow up to 100 percent of their actual production loss or the amount needed to restore their operation to its pre-disaster condition, whichever is less.
Those interested need to have documented evidence where they lost crops or the drought caused a delay in planting.
Applications will be accepted by the FSA through June 14, 2016.
Adams said farmers who aren’t interested in the emergency loan may be able to cash in on their insurance policies.
“Farmers are eligible to purchase insurance to provide protection in cases of drought and a lot of Pike County farmers have that,” he said. “Most likely they will be able to get some benefits because of the policy and protection they have.”
The drought conditions are a stark contrast for some farmers still reeling from losses caused by excessive rainfall from April 1 to July 6.
The USDA is offering emergency loans for them as well. The USDA considers Adams and Wilkinson counties designated disaster areas, and Pike and Amite counties contiguous areas.
Adams said farmers will still need to submit documentation where they either lost crops, were forced to delay planting or had problems with livestock as a result of the rain.
“If it got so wet that they had to keep them off their pastures or had to feed them hay that they typically wouldn’t, or lost a cut in a hay because it was too wet which would lessen the quality of the hay,” he said.
Applications for those loans are available through May 23, 2016.
