The drought that has plagued much of the country is now affecting farmers in ways beyond crops.
For livestock farmers, the warm conditions are effecting how much cattle eat.
"One of the challenges is the cattle cutback on their consumption just like people do and as a result they don't gain as quickly. It will take longer for them to market which tends to disrupt our cattle cycle," Brian Sievers, a livestock farmer, told KWQC.
The USDA reported Wednesday that beef prices are expected to jump 5 percent as a result of the nationwide drought.
"It can certainly effect price in the short term because there might not be as much pounds of beef becoming available to the consumer and the market place," Sievers added.
Sievers says the key during this hot weather is to keep cattle as comfortable as possible.
"We try to do all that we can to provide care and comfort during these times making sure they have adequate watering so when they need a drink they can get water and not have to stand in line and wait," Sievers said.
In addition to worrying about cattle prices, Sievers is now worrying about corn prices. Most of his cattle are fed off of corn products and expensive corn means for expensive food for cattle.
"The price of corn certainly has an impact 40 percent of our ration is corn and about 60 percent is a corn based product," Sievers says.
Sievers believes this is the worst summer since the 1980's for livestock farmers in the Quad Cities.
