Eau Claire, Wis. (WEAU) -- Helen Kees has been in the farming business for sixty years. She knows crops inside and out, and says every day they have been hoping for a good soak.

"The drought beats you up psychologically, we've been measuring the rain in tenths of inches, not inches," she said.

She says the rough summer meant paying attention to every detail about the forecast, from wind to cloud cover, to see how long the crop can hold out.

And it has meant being smart about what you grow.

"Asparagus is one crop that comes early in the spring for us, it generally comes whether you've had a drought the summer before," she said.

At Youa's Fresh Sweet Flowers in Eau Claire, the summer has hit them hard, too.

"Our zucchinis changed colors because of the weather, so some people are wondering why our zucchinis are so lumpy and it’s because of the weather," said Kalia Her, with Youa's Fresh Sweet Flowers.

Every little bit of rain helps.

While some of the farmers we talked to here said they have had a tough summer because of the drought, we also found out distance can make a difference.

"Our area's been getting moisture when we needed it," said Doug Sjostrom with Honey Hills Apiary in Maiden Rock.

He says moisture is necessary to keep the bees moving.

"If there's no moisture it might be a flower but there won't be any nectar in it," Sjostrom said.

With conditions okay at his farm, he will not have to go to plan B, which is to feed the bees supplemental food to help them through the winter.

Back at Wheatfield Hill Organics, Helen is hanging on to hope, knowing things could be worse.

"It's been a struggle, but we're very fortunate compared to many areas around the state," she added.