People tend to take the stress of farm life for granted, said Evans. But emotional support for farmers is very important in times like these, he said. Churches get very active in such times of stress. In the past, churches and faith-based groups have organized hay donations for farmers running short on hay and feed. Stan Hankins of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance pointed out that churches can also become involved before farmers reach a crisis point.
Churches can also link farmers with the resources that are out there.
They can play an advocacy role. Even if more rain arrives, mid-Atlantic farmers could still be facing a hay shortage. That means farmers will have a lower quality hay to feed their own livestock as well as a lower quality to sell on the market. And, although 70 percent of field corn is in the ground, only 20 percent has emerged. There are also likely to be problems with weed control since many weeds thrive during dry, hot weather.