The weather is a deciding factor in determining whether a farming operation will have success or failure. Failed crops not only affect the farmer, but also the person in agricultural business, such as a grain company owner, and ultimately every individual who shops at the grocery store.
VIDEO: Delanie Howell, runs 4:44 min.

In a Battle Against the Weather, Agriculture Rarely Wins
By: Delanie Howell

Have you ever stopped to think about the role that agriculture plays in your life? Unless you’re directly involved with a farming operation or know someone who is, the answer is likely no. The truth is, in recent years and this year especially, farming has become more of a stressor than ever before for those involved. The reason is the unpredictability of the weather and the huge effects it can have on farmers and their families.

According to Michael Cassidy, owner of Cassidy Grain Company in Frederick, Oklahoma, this year’s drought was tragic for farms and businesses that operate within the agriculture industry like his grain elevator. “Right here in this area was probably the epicenter of the drought and the extreme heat. It’s, I believe, the worst in recorded history and we were in exceptional, the highest rating of drought conditions.”

Exceptional refers to the highest of the five levels of intensity used by the U.S. Drought Monitor in describing drought conditions. Those levels range from D0 up to D4. Currently, Tillman County remains in a level D3 drought, which is the fourth highest rating, meaning extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor South climate map.

When weather like this sticks around for an extended period of time, the results can be disastrous. James Heap, a farmer in Tillman County, explained, “We went approximately a full year with only three inches of rain… The last rain we received was when we were sowing wheat for the 2011 crop. That crop, zero acres harvested. I also grow hay products, alfalfa, millet, Sudan hays, harvested zero bales of hay this year. I grow cotton, harvested zero bales of cotton.”

The problem with failed crops is that the effects reach far beyond just the farmer and the grain elevator owner. Those wheat crops produce several things we buy in the grocery store. Those hay crops feed cattle that may someday be in the grocery store as well. Those cotton crops are used to make clothes that many people can use to protect themselves from the harsh weather that so often threatens the crops themselves. The weather affects everyone, but so does agriculture.