what the drought means to my family and families like ours

i think by now most people in nebraska and beyond understand that there is a serious drought happening in the corn belt.  perhaps, not all people understand what that means to family farms such as ours and  our fellow farmer friends. our family is in recovery mode from a few years of bad luck, effects of the bad economy, and unplanned, major life changes.  so if we had a gotten a bumper crop, like it looked like we would in april, then that would put us on the path that brought us closer to financial security.  however, at this point we may be lucky to make any money at all.  and if farmers cash in their crop insurance they basically have their inputs covered but no profit.  also, if the snow fall is minimal this winter and does not adequately replace all the lost water we might have to consider just planting beans, which bring in much less money than corn, since they don't require as much ground water as corn.  thus, prolonging recovery mode for us. there are still plenty of family farms out there that are not farming 10,000 acres and rely on farming to feed their families.  farmers that are still operating off the homesteaded land of their families. families that have only ever farmed and have rode the ever changing wave of farming.  for my family it means a significant loss in this year's income, a possible loss in next year's income, and a few years more of  not being as financial secure as people need to be in  this world.   for a lot of families it will mean a tighter budget, postponement of debt payoff, less christmas presents, and for some it may just push them out of farming.   a lot of farmers will not be able to pay the rent on the land, make the payments for their equipment, so on and so forth.  farming was one of the last industries doing well in this economy so in the end, this drought will affect all of us. weather related issues are always a factor when you are farming.  no matter what you are growing.  however, this particular disaster is, of course, historical and record breaking.  so, do me a favor will ya?
do a rain dance.