Wisconsin drought: Oconomowoc farmer pressing on, hopeful for rain

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - Farmers in parts of southeast Wisconsin are keeping a close eye on the forecast, and Friday night's expected rain will be welcome – but still not enough.

Several farmers compared the current drought to one of the worst in recent memory – 1988. But in the town of Oconomowoc, one farmer is pressing on.

"This farm has been in our family for a long time," said Ken Rosenow. "I think one of the driest years since the late 1800s."

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Six generations have worked the fields at Rosenow's 900-acre farm. With his heart in the fields and his head in the clouds, he said he's lucky even in the middle of a drought.

"There’s farmers that are telling me this is the worst crop they’ve ever seen on their farms," he said.

Ken Rosenow

Kevin Krentz is the president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau. He said, even on his own farm, you can go a few miles between areas that have and have not had rain and things are "extremely different."

FOX6 Chief Meteorologist Rob Haswell said, in our area, rainfall totals are between 2 and 2 ½ inches below average for the season. And in areas further west, in places like Jefferson and Dane County, the drought is worse.

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"It’s going to take a few slow, steady rainfalls to get that soil back to where it needs to be in a natural fashion," he said.

Rosenow paid extra for genetically modified crops that don't need as much water, but fears his harvest may have to come weeks earlier than normal.

One thing that has helped over the years, Rosenow said, is he does not till his fields anymore. The farmer said not tilling locks in moisture and helps deliver better crops.