By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Rains that fell in August regenerated vegetation and lifted everyone’s spirits.

“A little water does wonders for people,” farmer Monty Stuchlik of Lost Springs said. “Everyone feels better.”

Farmers are looking to harvest an excellent soybean crop and many are busy putting up hay after rapid growth of forage.

However, despite the rain, a Kansas drought monitor map still shows the northern part of the county in exceptional drought and the southern part in abnormal drought.

Many cattlemen still are hauling water to pastures because precipitation was not heavy enough to cause runoff and fill ponds.

“Our ponds got a little bit of water but not enough to water a whole herd,” Stuchlik said.

One of his pastures contains a spring, but the spring dried up in May and has not rejuvenated.

Betty Richmond said she is hauling water to their 27-head herd of cattle. “There’s a little water in the pond, but it doesn’t look good,” she said. “It’s covered with scum.”

The Richmonds live south of Marion.

Sandy Carlson lives south of Burdick. She had an old well pulled in one of her pastures to restore the water supply. She uses a generator mounted on a pickup truck to pump water daily. Her son, Andy, hauls water to another pasture.

Farmers are hoping for a winter and spring with enough moisture to replenish ponds and restore springs.