BUCKHANNON -- Southern States is a farm Co-op with multiple locations in the US. Workers at the Buckhannon Co-op there say it's been a tough year for many cattle farmers in the area because low amounts of rain have produced a hay shortage.

"The main problem is the lack of moisture, which has caused the hay crop to be down significantly and we're from 20 to 40 percent pretty much in the Upshur and Randolph County area," says Bill Kraft, District Manager for the Buckhannon Co-op.

Luckily, the hay shortage hasn't affected Benjamin Post the way employees with Southern States says it's affected others in the area. Post owns a cattle farm in Upshur County and says he managed to come out even, even with the dry summer.

"The first cutting wasn't as good as the second cutting, but the second cutting was better than normal. I don't know why, but I guess the way we cut and the way the rain fell this year," says Post.

Southern States workers say the hay shortage is a cause for concern for other cattle farmers in the area.

"As the guys move to feed their cattle through the late fall and into the winter, we feel that there's going to be a shortage and some of these people are going to have to buy hay from other states and other areas," Kraft says.

Which is why Southern States is offering various credit programs and a low-priced feed program to help farmers get through the drought.

"We also have a beef booking program which the customers can lock in feed from September through March and they lock that in at one particular price and they know what their cost would be throughout the particular period," says Kraft.