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It's Official: Drought in Tennessee

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (ANFINSON)  --  A new report shows a  large swath of Tennessee is now officially drought stricken.

The U.S. Drought Monitor report represents a consensus of federal and academic scientists.  Released Thursday, the report says that nutritious green grass is in short supply. Some farmers have begun feeding their herds winter hay reserves in summer.

Dr. Warren Gill, Director of Agribusiness and Agriscience at Middle Tennessee State University, not only conducts research in the field of agriscience but is a farmer himself. He feels that despite recent rains, precipitation may have come too little too late.

“I’ve been around quite awhile and this is one of the toughest droughts I’ve seen, mostly because it started so early,” Dr. Gill says. “Almost everybody had a less than 50 percent hay crop. Many people have already been feeding the limited hay supplies that they already had."

Dr. Gill also points out the impact conditions will have on corn and soybean growers as well as everyday consumers. Dr. Gill says, “Numbers are going to be reduced and as numbers are reduced, prices will go up.”