Drought in western US being felt on Conn. farms

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Drought conditions in the western United States are having an impact in Connecticut.

The Connecticut Post reports that Ben Freund, for example, relies on feed and supplements shipped from across the U.S. for his cattle on Freund's Farm in East Canaan. He does not typically make enough of his own corn or hay to feed his cows.

With as much as one-third of the nation experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions and more than half going through moderate to extreme drought, availability of feed for the coming months will be scarce.

Making matters worse is that milk prices have dropped during the summer.

David Kaseno, Northeast regional director for the National Farmers Organization, said farmers received $20 to $21 per hundredweight for milk last year. As of last month, farmers were receiving $16.68.