You've heard there's a drought here in the midwest, right? Most of Wisconsin and big parts of Illinois have been declared disaster areas—76 counties in six states, in fact. It's the worst since the Dust Bowl. But beyond gushing fire hydrants and pricier chard at the farmers' market, do you, urbanite, have any idea what this heat means for small farmers?

Bob and Jen Borchardt of Harvest Moon Farms Farm in Viroqua, Wisconsin do. Harvest Moon is a confederacy of small farms in the Driftless Region that sells CSA shares and wholesale to restaurants. Their greens crop, which floats the entire wholesale operation, has been decimated. So they've launched Drought Aid 2012 a naked plea for help from restaurants, businesses, and individuals to help purchase two irrigation systems, cold storage for tomatoes, and to meet day-to-day operations and payroll.

Most farmers aren't as media savvy as the Borchardts, so it's also instructive for its specific account of the crisis small farmers are dealing with in this relentless land bake. Check out the video after the jump.