Tiffany Hagler-Geard

Tom Vincent in his milo field, which is used for cattle feed and the production of ethanol, doesn't need much attention and takes less moisture than corn and soy beans making it a perfect crop for weekend farmers, like Tom, who live in dry areas prone to drought. 

Billy Moore, who was born during the Dirty Thirties, explains the severity of the drought: "If we would still farm like we did back in the 1930s, we would have a second Dust Bowl. There would be dirt piled up as high as this house."

A bird's eye view shows the center-pivot irrigation circles and the banks of the dried up Arkansas river.

Part-time farmer and local celebrity, John Jenkinson III prefers to fly rather than drive the 72 miles from the radio studio in Garden City to his family farm southeast of Lakin and Garden City. Besides hosting two live farm talk shows for the Ag Network - a network he started in 2008 - and providing twelve farm programs a day for affiliates, he also produces a daily farm television program for a state wide network.

A well pump close to John Jenkinson's farm. In Kansas alone there are about 39,000 irrigation wells that pump water from the Ogallala, the nation's largest aquifer. Stretching across eight states from Nebraska to Texas, it is a major source of irrigation and domestic consumption. Farmers have withstood the High Plains' frequent droughts and dry spells by pumping water from these wells. Today, the Ogallala aquifer is one of the fastest declining groundwater reserves in the country.

Young farmers Justin and Erin Greer on their farm in Deerfield. Three years ago Justin quit his job at a farming equipment manufacturer to work on the family farm. The farm is not irrigated because the water in the reservoir is too low to reach the farm. So far they have not had one successful crop.

Lakin, Kansas, population 2,260. In the past ten years 30 families have left the town due to diminishing employment opportunities.

Shae, 19, and Eric are getting ready to grill some steaks. Shae, left, used to go to the river with his dad: "Ten years ago, there was water in the river and the whole area was green and beautiful. Now all we have is sand and dead trees. It is not for nothing that people around here say: water is more precious than gold."

Together with their friends and under tight supervision of their mother, Kelsey 16, Iesha,18, and Eric Jury, 15, like to come out to this spot on the banks of the dried up Arkansas river to practice target shooting.

The livestock sector is hit especially hard during times of drought. Greg Williams, a livestock farmer who doesn't have insurance, was forced to sell 120 of his 150 Black Angus cows due to the drought and the lack of feed.  When there is little or no grass available, farmers end up feeding their cattle hay that was intended as winter feed during in the summer or purchasing hay from outside the drought-stricken area, which is very costly.

Deerfield Kansas, population 778. The 'Old Highway 50' runs through the main street of this desolate town. Almost half of Deerfield's residents are of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Latoya, 26, is a mother of one and works as a waitress at Ranchito Cafe, a Mexican restaurant in Lakin. Since the 1920s the town has had a vibrant Mexican community and today about a third of its residents is of Mexican origin.

During team roping practice for the little britches rodeo, two cowboys, work together in an effort to stop a speeding calf in the shortest time possible. The header, Garrison Panzer, left, leads the team and ropes the head of the calf while his little brother, Hadley, the heeler, follows to rope the back legs. Kim Panzer, their proud mother explains how the drought has affected them: "We used to grow food for the horses ourselves, but because of the drought we haven't been able to so for quite some time. Buying horse feed is incredibly expensive."

Janessa, 20, who is originally from Garden City, lives with her daughter Brekalyn, 3, in Deerfield. She works at the local Subway. Whereas many children after finishing high school used to leave their community, today an increasing amount of young people stay in their county, or return after finishing college.

Unlike many other farmers, Tom Vincent, here in his milo field in Deerfield, was lucky this year. "On this farm we plant milo after the first rainfall, after the 10th of June. And it really has been a godsend this year. There were people whose milo was two feet high, even before I went out to seed my field. Theirs have turned brown and black because of a lack of rain and ours is beautiful and green."