NEAR IDA GROVE, Iowa (KTIV) -
Jolene Riessen's corn needs water as soon as possible. She says if not, her ears could be severely stunted this year.
"Last week we probably had three quarters of an ear. Now, we're down to about a half an ear," said Riessen.
Lots of Iowa's farmers are feeling the same heat. The USDA reports 40% of the state's corn is in poor to very poor condition. Soybeans, only slightly better, 30% poor to very poor.
It's all from that drought that's sitting on the farm belt. All of Iowa is in a drought. Almost 60% of it seeing severe conditions.
Weather experts say relief isn't in the forecast. Their newest data suggests we'll keep seeing more of the same until fall.
"The long range outlooks are keeping us in this, overall, same weather pattern. A lot of the storm systems are going around us instead of through the Midwest, leaving us dryer than normal, and often times warmer than normal," said KTIV Chief Meteorologist Ron Demers.
"We really haven't had one this bad since 1988," said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.
Northey says some help is coming. He says federal disaster declarations for 2/3's of Iowa counties are in the works. They would allow farmers to apply for low interest loans to make ends meet, and harvest some conservation land for hay. He hopes to see those declarations soon.
"Some of that paper work is in. It's hard to know. Right now we are seeing the whole country, or much of the country, asking for the same thing. I'm sure they're overwhelmed with paperwork, but it's coming fairly quickly," said Northey.
In the mean time, farmers like Riessen will be looking to the sky for help.
"You don't know how much praying I have been doing as of late," she said with a laugh.
