http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

A farmer near Wellsburg in Brooke County was using municipal water to irrigate his crops because his own drip irrigation was not delivering enough water to the crops. Five or more water lines were running continuously to sustain the crops, which may increase his water bill many times above the $100 that he usually pays. Crops that cannot be irrigated, like pumpkins, were succumbing to the drought and heat. The corn was just half of its usual height. The green beans were dying, and the potato crop yielded less than half of normal. When drought effects began about six weeks ago, the farmer and his employees began moving irrigation lines, which added as much as two hours per day of additional labor. While the drought and heat were hurting crops, large numbers of hungry wildlife were damaging crops as they satisfied their hunger by feasting on corn and green beans to an extent that farmers have not seen before. Some Brooke County livestock producers have opted to sell cattle because they did not have enough hay to feed their animals through the coming winter. The farmer has raised his prices for strawberries, raspberries and corn as yields were low. He was short on many types of produce. Fall activities will also feel the effects of the hot, dry summer. A giant pumpkin patch was wilting and dying, and the corn maze will not be all that challenging with three-foot-tall corn. The Wheeling Intelligencer (Wheeling, W.V.), July 30, 2024