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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend October 4, 2006 Barrett Broadie rounds up cattle as he moves them off CRP grass to a greener pasture on his ranch near Ashland, Kan. Sept. 27, 2006. Broadie has struggled with ongoing drought since returning to the family ranch eight years ago. Each night before going to bed, cattle rancher Barrett Broadie prays for rain. More such prayers follow on Sunday mornings, when he and his neighbors meet for church services in Ashland, a town of about 1,000 in southwestern Kansas. (Associated Press) Drought taking toll on farmers By ROXANA HEGEMAN The Associated Press WICHITA, Kan. — Charlie Griffin gets two or three calls daily from farmers struggling with bills they cannot pay. "Often the first thing out of someone's mouth is, 'I don't know where to turn,' " said Griffin, director of the Kansas Rural Family Help Line. Widespread drought is taking a psychological, as well as financial, toll on U.S. farmers and ranchers. The summer of 2006 was the second warmest in the continental U.S. since records began in 1895, according to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Despite some rainfall last month in parts of the country, moderate to extreme drought conditions continue in about 40 percent of the country. It's difficult to quantify how deeply the drought is affecting Kansas farmers. While the number of calls to the help line is running about the same as in past years, Griffin said, the drought has risen to the top of the average farmer's list of worries. Advertisement Calls to the help line typically increase as winter approaches and farmers start going over their account books. "That is the time when a lot of farmers go through some seasonal depression, and some of them could benefit from assistance from a mental health professional," Griffin said. Cattle rancher Barrett Broadie said he's fortunate to have an off-farm job working for a cattle auction company to help pay bills and make his land payment. "For a lot of these families, there is nothing they can do," he said. "Psychologically, that is as tough on them as anything." Broadie, 36, keeps about 220 cows year-round and usually runs another 400 or more head on wheat pasture every winter. Last year, the drought-stressed pastures were so poor he could only run 200 head on pasture, cutting his profits in half. "It makes it hard to make payments," he said. In north Kansas, grain grower Dan Engler struggles with crops decimated by drought over the past seven years. He laid off his hired hand, and depends more on his children and grandparents as unpaid farm labor. To cut insurance costs, he raised the deductible on their automobile, farm and health care policies. "We have stretched all we can. There is really not much else that we can stretch," he said. Engler, 42, farms several thousand acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum. Higher prices for fuel and fertilizer have driven his operational costs up an additional $35,000 this year, he said. "How can you in a drought situation — when you don't have a crop — produce that $35,000?" Engler asked. He said seven young farmers he knows quit farming since he came to Kansas and took over his wife's farm in 1998. Some relief may be in the offing in some areas. The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center has forecast some improvement across the Great Plains through December. The drought may also ease somewhat in the South and Southeast. Whether the areas will get enough moisture to aid crops is uncertain. Farm lobbyists continue to ask Congress for drought disaster assistance. They recently told members of the Senate and House agriculture committees that farmers are facing a two-prong disaster: the drought and high fuel and fertilizer prices. "I think there is a good chance that Congress might pass a disaster package — the question is when that will occur," said Dusti Fritz of the Kansas Wheat Commission. "Our message to congressmen was that we need it now and we need it before the October recess. But the message we heard back was that it was unlikely to happen that quickly." ------ CAMDEN, N.J. — More than 25,000 people rocked to John Mellencamp's "Little Pink Houses," sung along with Dave Matthews' "Crash Into Me" and raised more than $1.5 million for farming at this weekend's Farm Aid concert. Farm Aid campaign director Mark Smith said ticket sales raised $1.1 million for the 21-year-old charity, which helps farmers in crisis and aids organizations that support farming. Two big checks — $250,000 from Silk Soy Milk and $153,000 from a donation drive led by Chevrolet — were presented during the concert. Other donations, merchandise sales and concession totals could take a few more days to tally. The totals will not come close to the record of $7 million raised in the first Farm Aid concert, in 1985. That event was televised live, played in an 80,000-seat stadium and came at a time when sinking land values and high interest rates were forcing many farmers off their land. Farm Aid's focus has shifted since then. The event now is more concerned with promoting local foods, using renewable energy sources such as ethanol and land conservation. Saturday's concert was headlined by Farm Aid regulars Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Mellencamp and Matthews, who played a solo set. Other performers included reggae's Steel Pulse, country-rock's Steve Earle and rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis. In the weeks leading up to the event, local restaurants and schools participated in events to bring attention to the area's agriculture business. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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