Garden City ? The drought of 2011 is hitting crops hard in southwest Kansas.

The Garden City Telegram reports that the dry year in southwest Kansas has burnt up some fields early and small amounts of rainfall are doing little to alleviate drought conditions.

Jay Garetson farms primarily in Haskell County. He says that it’s the driest year he’s seen and that his corn crop is “anywhere from bad to zero.”

The Kansas Corn Commission released an updated July 26 report that pegged corn at 16 percent very poor, 18 percent poor, 32 percent fair, and 34 percent good to excellent

Although corn may not produce much, much like the wheat harvest, the silver lining for the Garetsons is cotton. He said the cotton, which likes the hot, dry weather, looks excellent.