U.S. corn prospects threatened as drought lingers in the west

Most of the top corn-producing states in the western half of the Midwest are suffering from much worse drought conditions than a year ago and so are heading into the spring planting season with historically dry soils

Reuters / The recent spell of rain and snow across much of the United States has raised expectations that overall field conditions are recovering from last year’s drought and that the crops planted this spring will get off to a strong start with access to adequate moisture reserves. But despite appearances, the grip of last

UN bodies want to tackle drought to avert food crisis

Reuters / UN agencies want to strengthen national drought policies after warnings that climate change would increase their frequency and severity. Droughts cause more deaths and displacement than floods or earthquakes, making them the world’s most destructive natural hazard, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, one of the groups taking part. “We must boost


New Zealand suffers drought

wellington / reuters The New Zealand government declared a drought in key farming areas on the North Island March 6, with no significant rainfall in more than three months threatening to cost the economy NZ$1 billion ($828.35 million). The affected areas include the major dairy-producing Waikato, south of the country’s biggest city Auckland, and horticultural

Snowstorms lessen drought’s impact

reuters / Back-to-back winter storms, that dropped up to two feet of snow in some areas of the nation’s midsection over in late February, lessened the harsh drought that has been gripping key U.S. farm states for months, climate experts said on Feb. 28. Oklahoma is one of the states that has benefited the most


Drought projected in parts of the U.S.

Reuters / U.S. farmers will plant crops this spring under the shadow of a persistent drought that grips prime farmland from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, with grain supplies already tight from drought losses in 2012. In all, 56 per cent of the contiguous United States is under moderate to exceptional drought, twice

Break in Plains drought seen this week

Reuters / Agricultural meteorologists said on Tuesday of this week that the precipitation in the next week to 10 days would provide significant relief for crop prospects in the U.S. Plains and Midwest. John Dee, meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring, said “this will really help add to soil moisture levels.” Dee said .50 inch to


U.S. spring crop season jeopardized as drought persists

Reuters / The unrelenting drought gripping key farming states in the U.S. Plains shows no signs of abating, and it will take a deluge of snow or rain to restore critical moisture to farmland before spring planting of new crops, a climate expert said Jan. 31. “It’s not a pretty picture,” said climatologist Mark Svoboda

Worst drought in decades hits Brazil’s northeast

Brazil’s northeast is suffering its worst drought in decades, threatening hydro-power supplies in an area prone to blackouts and potentially slowing economic growth in one of the country’s emerging agricultural frontiers. Lack of rain has hurt corn and cotton crops, left cattle and goats to starve to death in dry pastures and cut sugar cane


U.S senators propose interim support

washington / reuters Congress would revive disaster-relief programs for farmers and ranchers hurt by drought and other natural catastrophes under a stop-gap bill introduced on Jan. 25 by two key Senate committee leaders. Producers could get up to $100,000 each for losses in 2012 and this year. In particular, ranchers would benefit because they do

The rains that come are never enough as U.S. drought persists

Recent rains have brought some relief to Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, but the U.S. Plains remains tightly gripped by severe drought. The worst-hit areas remain in sad shape, said Brian Fuchs, climatologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “We’re still looking at significant precipitation deficits,” Fuchs said. “We really haven’t seen anything that has changed the