In Hamilton County, where the vast majority of cropland is under pivot or gravity irrigation, there are pockets of producers who still farm the land relying solely on the moisture Mother Nature sends their way.

Right next door to dark green, healthy fields of corn that stand much taller than any farmer, are pivot corners and fields of stunted, brown cornstalks with ears that likely won’t fully develop.

Such is life in Nebraska, in the middle of a drought.

Even those dark green, healthy-looking fields are deceiving. Make no mistake, there’s a drought in Nebraska and if it weren’t for the massive Ogallala Aquifer all crops would be suffering mightily.

To read more, see this week's print or e-editions