Farmers seeing the impact of abnormally dry weather

Sep. 24—While Ashtabula County has avoided the extreme and exceptional drought conditions affecting southeast Ohio, county farmers are still feeling the pinch.

The United States Drought Monitor's map released last Thursday shows the southern half of Ashtabula County to be abnormally dry.

Christina Cooley, public relations and outreach specialist for the Ohio Farm Service Agency, said the FSA has heard from county grape growers.

"They're starting to notice that some of the grapes are starting to essentially dry a little bit more," she said. "Although they are getting some precipitation, they are considering there may be a little less production or quantity."

Jeff Magyar, a soybean, corn and hay farmer in Wayne, owns land in Ashtabula and Trumbull counties. He said his crops have been affected less than those further south.

"[My] hay crops are diminished 50%," he said. "Soybeans and corn probably 10 to 20%. We'll know more when we harvest more acres."

Mardy Townsend, a grass-fed beef farmer in Windsor, said she's seen a longer dry spell, but her work is more resilient.

"The pastures are not coming back as quickly as they should, but I have enough pasture," she said.

Magyar said he expects more hay demand in southern Ohio.

"They'll look for hay everywhere," he said. "They will truck hay from up here, which normally you would never do that. You didn't have to. There will be a lot of pressure for it to go to markets that normally don't buy hay."

Townsend said the 1988 drought, which devastated her families' farm, was worse.

"We lost everything," she said. "Corn didn't germinate and what did germinate died — died a very young death. That's what I remember, the field of corn that was a foot tall and brown."

Magyar said the 1988 drought was hotter.

"It was more severe in '88 because our temperatures, starting in April, were in the 90s," he said. "It was drier and hotter earlier and longer. This year we haven't had many days in the mid 90s."