Jul 07, 2006 - 02:09:59 CDT
ZEELAND - For 24-year-old Wes Mastel, the impact of a severe drought goes beyond dried-up pastures, bone-dry watering holes and grass fires.The drought that has devastated parts of south central North Dakota this summer has forced him to sell his entire herd of 114 cattle.
Selling his livelihood is a last resort after giving up on hauling water five miles one way for his cattle and having his pasture wither away into a brown mess.
"I'm running out of options," Mastel said.
He was one of between 140 and 150 farmers and ranchers who met in Zeeland to hear Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., outline a strategy to help them.
Mastel has been farming all of his life with his family, and last spring he started out on his own with some land he is renting. Although he's finished with cattle this year, he's hoping that rain will come soon for his corn, wheat and alfalfa so he can salvage something and have a fresh start next year.
"I'm going to try to hang in there, but if it doesn't work, I'm not going to get too deep in debt," Mastel said.
Dorgan is returning to Washington, D.C., on Monday, when he will add drought assistance to a disaster package that has already been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The current disaster package includes assistance for farmers that experienced floods in 2005.
The disaster package, which includes funding for North Dakota and other states, has passed the Senate, but was blocked in the House. Dorgan said President Bush has also said he would veto a bill that includes the disaster assistance.
Dorgan hopes the House has a change of heart when members hear about the drought that is affecting North Dakota and other states.
He was blunt when he said the disaster assistance will not come soon - if at all - but he is hoping to find another way to help ranchers with immediate needs by pressing the USDA to allow haying of Conservation Reserve Program acreage in several counties.
"A quick way to make them (farms) shrink even more is to make them go through a drought with no help," Dorgan said.
Other government officials are also trying to help, including Gov. John Hoeven, who requested that USDA Secretary Mike Johanns expand statewide the CRP lands available for haying and grazing. Currently, the USDA has authorized two counties to open CRP for grazing.
"We are asking that USDA open CRP lands, including the CP-23 areas, as soon as possible and make haying and grazing available specifically to those producers affected by disaster," Hoeven wrote. "This action would help livestock producers to secure feed, since in many cases their traditional hay and pasture areas are barren due to almost no moisture since last year."
Hoeven has also written to USDA Farm Service Agency Director Gary Nelson, requesting him to complete damage-assessment reports as soon as possible. DARs are the first step toward securing a secretarial disaster declaration.
Even opening the CRP lands to haying and grazing is too late for some ranchers.
Herman Schumacher, co-owner of Herreid Livestock Market in South Dakota, will be selling Mastel's and several other ranchers' cattle in the coming weeks. Schumacher said he has seen an increase in cattle sales of about 90 percent, and he is worried that if the drought continues, enough people will sell their herds that prices will begin to drop.
"Ihave never seen a more desperate situation for the livestock people," said Schumacher, who has been in the business for 25 years.
When Dorgan asked the crowd what would happen if it started raining now, a chorus of "too late" was mumbled and, when he asked when the last good rain was, the audience said "last year."
Driving north of Zeeland, which is just a few miles from South Dakota, a noticeable change in scenery can be observed.
Most of the corn around Zeeland is knee-high at best, but near Linton and Hazelton, some of the corn is waist high and other crops are slightly greener than ones in Zeeland. Drive 100 or more miles north and some of the crops are lush green where there has been plenty of rain.
Neil Meidinger, a McIntosh County Commissioner, can't believe how green it is in parts of the state, such as Rugby, where he went recently for his job driving truck.
"Ithought, geez, this can't be possible in North Dakota,"Meidinger said.
Meidinger, who also farms and raises cattle near Zeeland, said it would be a big help if CRP land is opened for haying, but the help needs to come soon.
Francis Krumm, owner of the Hague Elevator, said there are years where farmers or ranchers have trouble, but it usually doesn't affect both in the same year. He said even with crop insurance, some farmers could lose $40 to $50 an acre.
"There is no way to make these margins up even in a good year, let alone in a drought," Krumm said.
Richard Holzer, a Zeeland farmer, sees the drought as a reminder of how tough it is to farm the land in the area.
Holzer said the Zeeland area is typically drier and less productive for crops than in other parts of the state, but input costs are the same for all farmers.
The government can help keep farmers afloat for another year, but Holzer said some farmers are "fooling themselves" into thinking they can survive because energy and fertilizer costs have increased so much.
"The government help is good, but they can't do everything for us," Holzer said.
(Reach reporter Tom Rafferty at 223-8482 or tom.rafferty@;bismarcktribune.com.)
barney wrote on Jul 15, 2006 1:45 PM:
dante wrote on Jul 7, 2006 11:50 PM:
Barney wrote on Jul 7, 2006 11:07 PM:
The Real Cost: wrote on Jul 7, 2006 5:12 PM:
former farmer wrote on Jul 7, 2006 10:00 AM:
They need Help!!! wrote on Jul 7, 2006 8:54 AM:
buddy wrote on Jul 7, 2006 7:26 AM:
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