Theo Graff has worked on his family's farm in Illinois since he was 9 years old. The Graffs grow corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. They also raise cattle. This year, high heat and low rain turned the Graffs' fields brown and dry.

"The drought has been very hard on our farm," Theo, 14, told TFK. A drought happens when there is less rain than usual and water supplies are low.

How Bad Is It?

The drought is the largest that the United States has had in about 60 years. Midwestern states have been the driest.

The Graffs and many other farmers have not had a good harvest. "There will be farmers who go out of business," says Judi Graff, Theo's mom. Many foods will cost more because of the drought. The drought is expected to last through the fall.

Dry and Dusty

Terrible droughts in the 1930s turned a large part of the U.S. into a dust bowl. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico were the states most affected. Farmland dried up, turned to dust and blew away. The huge dust storms were called black blizzards.