SAUK CITY, Wis. (AP) -- The drought is causing an unusual problem for one southern Wisconsin festival -- a shortage of cow chips.

The Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw and Festival in Prairie du Sac uses hundreds of the flatted and dried cow manure pieces for their annual competition that starts Friday.

Organizers discovered in July the numbers and quality of manure were poor because of the heat and dry weather.

So the organizers had to dip into reserves.

One of the organizers, Marietta Reuter, says she's never experienced such a shortage in her 24 years at the festival.

The grounds chair, Russ Ballweg, says they plan to go out more often next year so they don't have the same problem and can replenish their reserves.