A lot of wheat in western Kansas has has been “zeroed out for insurance purposes, and a lot more will be,” says the chief of the Kansas State University ag experiment station south of Hays in northwest Kansas. Station chief Bob Gillen is quoted in the Hays Daily News about the intense drought. Hays has seen three inches of precipitation this year, five inches below normal. For Hays, it is the fourth-driest year on record.
In Russell, in central Kansas, residents have been directed since summer 2012 to conserve water, says the Kansas City Star. Some in Russell put buckets in their showers to capture water for their gardens. Others collect rainwater in barrels. Overall, water usage is down by nearly one-fourth. Mayor Curt Mader says the city needs to develop sources of water for the future. Says the Star: “Whether it’s a person, a plant or a town,” Mader noted, “nothing grows without water.”