Farmers Getting Creative Pushing Through Winter After Extreme Drought
By: Josh Berry
Updated: October 22, 2012
This Summer's extreme drought is forcing farmers and ranchers across the state to take extreme measures to make sure they can keep going through the winter.
Some are planting crops they've rarely had to put in the ground just to make sure their operation and family can continue their normal every day life.
"This is a field we typically grow corn in," explained Simon Brothers Dairy Farm part owner, Matt Simon. "Because of the drought we virtually had no hay to make."
So Simon and his family had to get creative to make sure they could keep up an already tough operation of maintaining dairy cows following a crippling drought.
"It's one we hope we never see again."
Simon's father, Mike Simon is the oldest member of the operation. He's seen his share of droughts but nothing like what happened this summer.
"Pretty close to the driest summer I can remember," he said, as he walked through his grazing cows. "Two, three months ago that field looked more like a desert than it does that green field."
During the summer they had nothing to feed the cows with besides stock piled forage. Since they couldn't produce any growth during normal growing periods in the summer, the Simon's had no choice but to spend more money on oat crops to keep the cows alive.
"It's just an expensive endeavor to keep planting and get a limited production off of it," said Matt Simon. "Not only is it a job but it's a way of life and a livelihood."
When every thing the Simon's do depends on this operation and with a 4-year-old daughter sitting on Matt's hip to support, making sure they do what they can for the cows, and for the family, is worth extraordinary changes.
"I keep this operation going so if they want it they can have it," Matt said, referring to the youngest and newest generation of the family. "Years like this are tough but makes you take a few extremes to push it through."
The Simons credit the University of Arkansas Extension service for their help through hard times. They say the extension service actually got hints on how to handle the drought from the farmers who experienced the same thing last year in Texas.
Some are planting crops they've rarely had to put in the ground just to make sure their operation and family can continue their normal every day life.
"This is a field we typically grow corn in," explained Simon Brothers Dairy Farm part owner, Matt Simon. "Because of the drought we virtually had no hay to make."
So Simon and his family had to get creative to make sure they could keep up an already tough operation of maintaining dairy cows following a crippling drought.
"It's one we hope we never see again."
Simon's father, Mike Simon is the oldest member of the operation. He's seen his share of droughts but nothing like what happened this summer.
"Pretty close to the driest summer I can remember," he said, as he walked through his grazing cows. "Two, three months ago that field looked more like a desert than it does that green field."
During the summer they had nothing to feed the cows with besides stock piled forage. Since they couldn't produce any growth during normal growing periods in the summer, the Simon's had no choice but to spend more money on oat crops to keep the cows alive.
"It's just an expensive endeavor to keep planting and get a limited production off of it," said Matt Simon. "Not only is it a job but it's a way of life and a livelihood."
When every thing the Simon's do depends on this operation and with a 4-year-old daughter sitting on Matt's hip to support, making sure they do what they can for the cows, and for the family, is worth extraordinary changes.
"I keep this operation going so if they want it they can have it," Matt said, referring to the youngest and newest generation of the family. "Years like this are tough but makes you take a few extremes to push it through."
The Simons credit the University of Arkansas Extension service for their help through hard times. They say the extension service actually got hints on how to handle the drought from the farmers who experienced the same thing last year in Texas.
