Drought Deepens In Central Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The hot, dry weather last week made the drought conditions even worse in Minnesota.
The drought monitor map shows that several counties in the central part of the state are now in a severe drought.
It's the first time since June that any part of Minnesota has been rated that dry.
"The ground is pretty dry, sandy," farmer John Svihel said. "Just bone dry -- there's nothing there."
Svihel's a vegetable farmer in Foley.
"Just a total loss," he said. "Most (corn cobs) don't have anything on them."
Corn fields across Benton and Sherburne counties look the same way.
Svihel said irrigation systems are the saving grace, adding that most large farms like his, are equipped with irrigation systems that allow them to shower their crops with water when Mother Nature is not feeling generous.
"In the sandy light soil, there's nothing without irrigation," he said.
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association told Angela that one or two good rains combined with a late frost can give the crop a late boost and increase those yields.
