The
Largest Natural Disaster In U.S. History: The Endless
Drought Of 2012 Will Bake America Well Into August
http://endoftheamericandream.com
http://albertpeia.com/bakedamerica.htm
‘Why is the heartland of the
At
the beginning of July many were hoping that we would soon see some rain and
that we could still see a decent corn harvest.
Unfortunately,
the drought has gotten even worse since that time. The following is from
an article in the Chicago Tribune....
The
whole of
Harder-hit
Severe
to exceptional drought covered 80.15 percent of
Conditions
in
That
is not good news.
Posted
below is the latest update from the U.S. drought monitor. As
you can see, nearly the entire southern half of the country is extremely dry
right now....
It is
being projected that in some of the major corn growing areas as much as 60
percent of the crops could be lost.
Many
farmers that had been desperately hoping for rain are now becoming resigned to
the fact that their crops are not going to make it. The following is from
an article in the New York Times....
"Corn
is anywhere from knee-high to waist-high," Gonzalee
Martin, agriculture and natural resources educator with Purdue University’s
Allen County extension office, told The News-Sentinel. "Much of it has
already tassled with no ears at all. Much of it’s
going to be completely lost"
When
your livelihood depends on the weather, an endless drought can be extremely
stressful. Many farmers that had been anticipating a bumper crop this
year are now faced with an utter disaster. The following example comes from CNN....
Now,
as punishing drought grips the Midwest, Villwock, 61,
walks his hard-hit 4,000 acres in southwest
Where
there should have been tall, dark green, leafy plants, there now stand corn
stalks that are waist high or, at best, chest high. They are pale in color and
spindly. Fragile. Tired.
Pull
back an ear's husk and you find no kernels, he says. With temperatures rising
above 95 degrees, the pollen starts to die.
"It's
emotionally draining," he said. "The crop got out of the ground very
well. We were so optimistic. But maybe a few of us were counting our eggs
before they were hatched."
So is
there any hope that things are going to turn around?
Unfortunately,
things do not look promising right now. It is being projected that the
AccuWeather.com
agricultural meteorologists are concerned that new and frequent waves of
near-100-degree temperatures and stingy rainfall will further stress crops over
When
temperatures are very high and rainfall is very low, evaporation happens very
rapidly. As accuweather.com notes, when the ground becomes very, very dry
it can create a vicious cycle that feeds on itself....
Evaporation
rates are very high into the first part of August. Soaking rain on a regular
basis instead of a brief downpour is needed to be of benefit beyond a couple of
days.
Turning
things around in the
So
what does all of this mean for the rest of us?
It is
going to mean higher food prices.
On
Friday, the price of corn hit $7.50 a bushel.
It
had been thought that the price of corn would only be about $5.00 a bushel this
year.
At
this point, the price of corn is up 48 percent since mid-June, and it
could go a whole lot higher.
Some
analysts are projecting that if this endless drought persists, we could
see ten dollars for a bushel of corn and 20
dollars for a bushel of soybeans.
And
yes, you will notice this at the supermarket.
In a previous article, I included a
quote from a recent article by Holly Deyo
about why the price of corn affects the price of so many other products....
Since
75% of grocery store products use corn as a key ingredient, expect food prices
to skyrocket. Corn is also a staple in many fast foods. Corn is in ethanol and
the main food source or chickens. In addition to this, maize is in many things
that aren't obvious like adhesives, aluminum, aspirin, clothing starch,
cosmetics, cough syrup, dry cell batteries, envelopes, fiberglass insulation,
gelatin capsules, ink, insecticides, paint, penicillin, powders, rugs and
carpets, stamps, talcum, toothpaste, wallpaper, and vitamins. That's just for
starters...
This
is a huge heads up for you to purchase corn-using products NOW before these
conditions reflect in grocery goods. It will be a narrow window of opportunity.
This
endless drought is also a complete and total nightmare for ranchers.
At
this point, approximately 50 percent of
Back
in June, that figure was only sitting at 28 percent.
So things have gotten a lot worse very quickly.
A lot
of ranchers are selling off their cattle because this drought is making it very
difficult to continue to feed them. The following is from examiner.com....
Rauhn Panting, with the University of Idaho,
who works with ranchers and farmers, says, "We're going to run out of
grass. It's going to be scary." Ranchers are being advised to vacate
grazing lands, weeks and even months before when they usually have to leave.
Left
with only two choices, feed or sell, many are opting to sell their cattle. The
So
expect higher meat prices in the fall and winter as well.
This
all comes at a really bad time. We are already on the verge of a global financial catastrophe.
Agriculture was supposed to be one of the few bright spots in the
Sadly,
the
For
example, in
Yes,
seriously.
The
following is from a recent Der
Spiegel article....
Millions
of field mice are overrunning the central German states of
So
why is all of this happening?
Why
is nature going crazy all of a sudden?
Please
feel free to post a comment with your opinion below....
