Jason Sorensen Above: Dry grass can bee seen along a ditch lining a cornfield Thursday, along Bixby Road just outside of Fairmont. Martin County is in a severe drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Information on the drought can be obtained from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

FAIRMONT — Two simple words can describe the start of summer in 2021. Hot and Dry.

An early heatwave in June coupled with a lack of rainfall has placed Southern Minnesota firmly into drought territory.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor all of Martin County is now considered to be in a severe drought, as are several nearby counties. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, drought is defined as a period of abnormally dry and/or unusually hot weather sufficiently prolonged for the corresponding deficiency of water to cause a serious hydrologic imbalance.

When a serious hydrologic imbalance occurs, soil moisture reserves, groundwater supplies, lake levels and stream flows are negatively impacted. Water-dependent industries including agriculture, public utilities, forestry, and tourism are profoundly affected.

Careful stewardship of Minnesota’s water resources is always important. During drought, water resources are particularly stressed and water conservation measures are especially important.

Local farmer Wanda Patsche shares how drought affects local farming communities.

“It’s really hard to see those crops with the leaves curling up in the middle of the day,” she said. “Just to give some perspective, we have received 0.14 inches of rain in the month of June. Typically we have six inches, so that’s how far back we are from what is normal.”

Patsche notes that while farmers such as herself do have crop insurance, that serves as more of a safety net to get farmers through. She also shares that the current market prices are good, but states that means little when crops are in danger.

“If we had a crop, prices are pretty good right now but I can’t forward sell a crop that I don’t know if we’re going to get. So we just have to wait and see what happens.

Of the over 40 years that we have farmed, we have never had a crop failure. There’s a first time for everything, but I hope this isn’t it.”

For comparison, Patsche said that last year saw record crop yields.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s a little bit too early yet. But it’s hard driving, I have to keep my eyes on the road because I can’t even look at the crops.”

As a whole Patsche said that most crops are still OK, though maybe some lighter soils are struggling.

“I think we’re right at a cross-road where if we don’t get any of the rain we’re going to see those crops really deteriorate. You have to have moisture and I think with the corn plants, those roots are digging down so there’s probably some sub-soil moisture that they’re going on for right now.

“I also think seed technology is so much better now than what it used to be. I think it can tolerate it more than what it could in the past. The technology is really built into the seed.”

At a surface glance the problem may not seem to be a big concern as most communities don’t directly consume the crops raised on local farms. However, Patsche points out that a crop failure would still have a local effect.

“Do we eat anything directly out of our fields up here? No. But the vast majority of our crops, whether it’s corn or soybeans, goes to livestock feed.

“So that’s where it’s important. We definitely need those crops to feed out livestock animals, so it’s indirect. The other part is that a lot of our corn goes to ethanol.”

Patsche notes that a large part of farmer’s life is dependent on resources and circumstances outside their control.

“One day we had a 90 percent chance of rain and we got about four drops,” she said. “Then they come and say we’re going to get rain but then it pushes further south or east.

“So how do we deal with that kind of thing? It really comes down to our faith. You just have to believe in a higher power and understand it’s completely out of my control and it will be what it is.

“It is what God provides us, I’m a firm believer in that.”