Farmers continue to experience drought as Spring arrives

GARDEN PLAIN, Kan. (KSNW) — As the seasons change, so do the crops. One Garden Plain farmer said the recent moisture is helping his 1,500 acres of winter wheat, but not all farmers are seeing growth during the lingering drought.

“Our wheat in south central Kansas looks pretty decent right now,” said Garden Plain Farmer Martin Kerschen.

Kerschen said the recent warmer weather and some moisture have helped his winter wheat green up.

He said it’s a resilient crop.

“It is just drought-resistant a lot more so than what it was 40 years ago when I started farming,” said Kerschen.

But the drought is still impacting many.

KSN Ag Expert John Jenkinson said some in the southwest corner of the state are already calling their insurance companies.

“They are waiting for insurance adjusters to show up and decide whether or not we are going to have a wheat crop or not,” said Jenkinson.

Kerschen said the drought is persistent. He said after they harvest wheat in June, most of the Garden Plain area farmers will plant double-crop soybeans.

“I don’t know if it will happen this year so much. We had a tough time with soybeans last year,” said Kerschen.

He expects many to wait to plant those crops.

With Monday’s wind, dust could be seen coming from many bare fields near Garden Plain.

“Having cover on that land is valuable nowadays for moisture retention, and just mainly for soil. No farmer ever wants to lose any of his soil,” said Kerschen.

Even with all the obstacles, Kerschen said they are putting their best foot forward and are optimistic they will have crops to harvest.

Kerschen plants wheat, soybeans, and corn.

He said in a few weeks, they will be putting corn in the ground.

They are hoping for more rain to bring subsoil moisture.