| BURLINGTON, Wyo. AP) - The drought has dried up canals supplying
irrigation water to farmers and ranchers in parts of the Big Horn Basin.
"Mother Nature shut it off," said Chairman Norman Preator of
the Farmers Canal System. "We're at the mercy of Mother Nature."
The canals supplied by the Greybull Valley Irrigation District went dry
Tuesday.
The last time water was cut off this early was in 1988, when the system
went dry at the end of August, Preator said.
Preator said that in addition to the lack of irrigation water, without
moisture, farmers will not be able to pull beets from the clay soil of the
basin.
Burlington farmer Mike Riley said the canal supplying his irrigation
water normally has water flowing through it until the second week of
October.
A member of the board of Farmers Canal System, which has about 240
accounts, Riley said he had been cautious in planting this spring because
of the drought. For instance, he held off on planting 160 acres of beans.
The drought also pushed ahead his corn chopping, he said. With the lack
of water, he said he went ahead and cut the corn in its rows, without
combining any of it. This is a farm operation usually performed in the
late fall after other harvests are complete.
Riley said the drought isn't only affecting this year's crops, but will
prevent farmers from working the ground this fall in preparation for next
year's crops.
A Burlington native, Riley has been farming all his life. He said he
has seen other drought conditions before but "not like this, that has
lasted this long."
Meantime, the Sweetwater County Commission approved a resolution
Tuesday declaring Sweetwater County a drought disaster area.
The county resolution is needed so residents who are in need of federal
relief because of drought damage can apply for such relief, according to
commission chairman John Pallesen.
Pallesen said the request came from the Big Sandy Conservation
District.
Gov. Jim Geringer said the state can help farmers and ranchers by
finding livestock feed and assisting in improving future water storage. |