Epic Winter Drought Creates a Bleak Situation for Farmers

Justin Perry's family has been farming the rolling hills of the Nebraska panhandle for four generations, but none of them can remember a winter as warm and parched as this one.

There was no steady rain to gently soak the soil. No blanket of snow to insulate the fields and pasture. Just warm, dry winds that swept across the landscape, sucking moisture from every inch of exposed earth.

Now, spring has arrived, along with forecasts for continued drought that could imperil Perry's winter wheat and summer planting. An extraordinary March heat wave sent temperatures soaring to almost 90 degrees, further baking the soil. And to the north, Perry can see smoke billowing from record-setting wildfires that have consumed hundreds of thousands of acres of ranches and farmland.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.