Livestock and the drought of 2024

By Matt Reese

With less than 4 inches of rain from June 1 to Sept. 1 and pastures 2 inches tall when they should be 2 feet tall, Morgan County livestock producers are reeling from the historic drought of 2024.

Gary Haines runs a 150-cow dairy operation in Morgan County with his father and uncle. 

The Haines dairy farm has struggled in the drought of 2024 in Morgan County.

“We raise our calves up for beef heifers. We’ve got 700 acres and we probably rent 700 to 800 acres for pasture and hay and corn. We raise everything we feed. We were doing really good until about the last week of June, then it just kept on getting drier and drier. Our bottom ground is mostly alfalfa and corn. For our second cutting on the alfalfa, it was probably about 6 inches tall. We’re going to try to cut it again for a third cutting and it might be 4 inches.… Continue reading