Drought concerns grow for Minnesota farmers

Steve Anderson, a farmer near Foley, on Friday looked over his alfalfa crop, which he said should be up to his knees at this point in the season. It barely hits his ankles because of drought.Steve Anderson, who farms north of St. Cloud in Benton County, sold his cattle herd in June after 33 years of dairy farming because he saw early signs of a drought that has only gotten worse.

Bad enough, Anderson said, that he's started to abandon his hopes that a healthy crop yield at a time of high grain prices would help offset cattle losses. "Now that's all I'm doing now, is selling grain," said Anderson, who's 65.

The 450 acres he farms near Foley typically meet or exceed the national average for…