Drought proves costly for organic farmers - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

Westby, WI (WXOW)-- Farmers across the country are suffering through this summer's drought, which is bringing extra challenges for organic farmers.

Darin Von Ruden owns an organic farm in Westby. He owns both dairy and beef cows, and says he typically relies on his crops to supply 30 percent of their daily feed. But, Von Ruden says since July, that number has shrunk to about 10 percent. That mean he's had to buy extra feed for his animals.

"If one farmer's hurting in the county, then they're all hurting," Von Ruden said. "You usually see that as problem in a drought. You have to go outside the area to get the organic feed we need. And there are some acreages out there available to us to get that feed, but they're not certified. So if we can't get that land certified than that feed also isn't available."

Von Ruden is also the president of the Wisconsin Farmer's Union and says farmers around the state are always discussing ways to help each other out.