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‘Dragging my feet:’ Kansas farmer dealing with drought awaits planting start

The USDA says the drought in Kansas is depleting soil moisture and hurting winter wheat progress.

Keith Miller farms 10,000 acres near Barton County. “We’re ready to spread some dry fertilizer on and start planting, but right now we’re too dry. We haven’t had hardly any rain all winter long. We’re dry enough I’m kind of dragging my feet until we get some moisture.” 

The latest crop progress and condition report says topsoil moisture is 41 percent adequate-to-surplus and subsoil moisture is 37 percent adequate-to-surplus.

Winter wheat is seen at 34 percent good-to-excellent.

Five percent of the state’s corn crop has been planted, 2 percent behind last year’s average.