The drought that has plagued many wheat fields in northwest Kansas has also affected cattle grazing, spurring calls for the federal government to open up reserved land.

Marvin Cox, a Weskan farmer, planted dryland corn in a field a few weeks ago. He hasn’t been back, fearful of what he might find. While he is concerned about crops, he’s also concerned about cattle.

“Hopefully, they’ll open up the CRP,” Cox said of grass in the Conservation Reserve Program, even though it is suffering as well. “It’s better than nothing.”

With wheat crops dead or dying and pastures that aren’t capable of supporting as many cattle as they normally would, if they can support any, farmers are fearing tough times. Some pastures are table-top bare, except for the clumps of yucca or sagebrush that dot some western fields.

Many farmers were also forced to feed cattle longer than normal this spring, depleting feed supplies that ultimately might be critical this winter.