Why is the heartland of the United States experiencing such a horrific drought right now? At the moment, approximately 61 percent of the entire nation is experiencing drought conditions, and this is absolutely devastating farmers and ranchers all over the country. Less than two weeks ago I wrote an article asking what would happen if these drought conditions persisted, and now we are finding out. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has created the largest natural disaster area in U.S. history. The USDA has declared 1,016 counties in 26 U.S. states to be disaster areas. The USDA declaration basically covered about half of the nation, and there is now no denying how horrible this drought really is. You can see a map of this disaster area right here. This endless drought is being compared to the nightmarish drought of 1988, and if it persists into August it could become perhaps the worst drought that America has ever seen. The USDA says that approximately 60 percent of all corn in the country is experiencing “moderate to extreme” drought conditions. If this drought does not end soon, the losses are going to be mind blowing. Already, it is estimated that farmers and ranchers have suffered billions of dollars in damage. How much worse can things get?
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 Iowa was classified as abnormally dry as of July 10 and 12.7 percent of the top corn and soybean producing state was in severe drought, up from 0.8 percent the prior week.
Harder-hit Illinois, the No. 2 corn and soy state, was 66.28 percent under severe drought or worse, up from 40 percent the previous week.
Severe to exceptional drought covered 80.15 percent of Indiana, versus 68.84 percent the prior week.
Conditions in Missouri also deteriorated, with 82.54 percent of the state in severe drought or worse, compared with 78.83 percent the week before.
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 Indiana in utter dismay.
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 Corn Belt will experience extremely high temperatures and very low rainfall all the way through mid-August. The following report comes from accuweather.com….
AccuWeather.com agricultural meteorologists are concerned that new and frequent waves of near-100-degree temperatures and stingy rainfall will further stress crops over Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska into mid-August.
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 Midwest as a whole will be a difficult task as dry ground tends to bring higher daytime temperatures, which in turn raises evaporation rates and so on.
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 America’s pastures and ranges are in “poor” or “very poor” condition.
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 Torrington Stock Market in Wyoming, has recorded that 36,000 cattle were sold in May and June of this year. The usual average for these months is 5,500. Small ranchers, with 30-50 cow/calf pairs, are being hit the hardest.
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 U.S. economy.
Sadly, the U.S. is not the only one having problems with crops this year.
For example, in Germany farmers are actually experiencing a full-blown plague of rats.
Yes, seriously.
The following is from a recent Der Spiegel article….
Millions of field mice are overrunning the central German states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, much to the concern of local farmers. The rodents are devastating food crops, cutting yields by up to 50 percent. Getting birds of prey to hunt the critters didn’t help, and now farmers want to be allowed to use a banned rat poison.
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….
Who wrote this article?
I saw a black hosrse and the rider upon it had a pair of scales in his hands. A quart of wheat for a denarius, 3 quarts of barley for a denarius. Do not harm the olive oil and the wine.
The interpretation thereof:
The black hosrse represents the economic system. The rider upon it is the merchants of the earth. The pair of scales is the weights and measures of the merchandise bought and sold. A denarius is the monetary system. The olive oil and the wine were necensities in the 1st century. Today it would be food and energy.
Than there will be a great tribulation that has not occured since the founding of the world nor will occur again.
the world cleansing process has begun the illuminati says that first the food will go and who ever controls the food has the power next they say natural disasters will start to occur they say over two billion will day from starvation another billion to natural cause until they get the population down to 5million but these are all conspiracy but looks like there coming true
The USDA has declared 61% of the USA a DISASTER AREA. There will be food shortages and because over 75% of the farmed beef and poultry are fed corn, and the grass fed beef have been dying of drought in the South West, there will be meat shortages. Crop and meat shortages will cause inflation which will lead to civil unrest.
We know that HAARP can manipulate weather and direct rainfall anywhere it wants. There are 2 HAARP facilities in the US. Weather worldwide has never ever been so unusual. Chemtrails are a constant event.
IF all of this is being orchestrated AND there are forecasts of civil unrest and DHS is stockpiling weapons and ammunition specifically for man to man combat it is fair to say that they are either expecting an invasion of some sort or that the USDA declaration is but a precursor of of a bigger plan for the collapse of the dollar, the declaration of a State of Emergency by the DHS which will then trigger the intended revolt, the firing up of the FEMA camps and the authorised killing of ordinary citizens.
I hope all of this is not the case, but I fear it is because slowly all the pieces are coming into place and the legislation recently introduced which already destroys the freedoms once considered a right.
I think you hit the nail right on the head. I was thinking the same way. Isn’t it sickening?
I am saddened. The main argument for all this crap is Agenda 21 Sustainability of the planet which “they” believe needs a population reduction of at least 50%.
Firstly, we know we can feed ourselves quite well (where I live most of us are crop growing casual hobbyists achieving at least 25% support depending on the area allocated) but economically in the fantasy world of unnecessary “growth” it is becoming so obviously impossible to maintain.
All the false growth of the last 30 years has been based mainly on slick marketing and irresponsible banking giving undeserved facilities which, given the current insecurity is now being viewed more cynically by those with what we call “nous”.
So, THE AWAKENING, is highlighting just what these secretive controllers are up to, and the list is frightening.
Unchallenged Legislation Removing Simple Human Rights,
Genetically Modified Foods which are unproven, carcinogenic and now unchallengable. The mutation of otherwise virtually harmless bird flu into a deadly humanly contagious virus.
The pathetic Gov inspired dumbing down of educational teaching standards so the next generation are helpless, unthinking robots that only do/think what they’re told to by the mainstream media or XBOX 360.
The relentless growth of power and weaponry of the pre 911 unknown US DHS who are now to be deployed in UK airports and eventually all of europe vetting the visitors to make sure they are not the fictitious terrorists they programme us to believe in.
The poisoning of the Caribbean Sea.
Chemtrails & HAARP which can now be proved to be taking life.
The continuous disgusting greed exhibited by the sick Banking community who, even after being exposed in 2008 have not stopped their feasting on the carcass of taxes paid by simple, honest individuals who mistrust government but are fearful of its new power..
The dividing of nations into ordinary citizens on one side and the power drunk bullies of the police state controllers, DHS and Gov inspectors on the other.
National spending on weaponry by bankrupt countries like USA, UK, whilst civil responsibility goes out of the window and unemployment and presonal savings losses goes through the roof.
The writing is on the wall. Preppers are right. It may be 6 months, one, two or three years, but as “they” are hell bent on war with Syria & Iran for Rockefeller’s and Rothschild’s sake (as in Libya), we are all in for a hell of a time we probably won’t get through if Russia & China join up!
They ignore the elephant floating just under the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. A mass of millions of barrels of oil is blocking the Gulf Stream, a major artery of our weather. we haven’t had normal hurricane activity, the east to west flow, in the Gulf of Mexico since the spill. All of the hurricanes get to Florida and head north, up the Atlantic Coast. Using a chemical to submerge the oil (instead of spending then time and resources to completely remove it) created a mass that will not reach the bottom for another three or four years. The media is hiding or ignoring the fact that this weather is caused by those who spilled the oil and failed to clean up the mess. It’s so bad, even the chemtrails are not bringing added rain.
I WISH HOPE AND PRAY FOR PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE WORLD IN FUTURE.
All planned and more coming. And what do we enjoy still entertainment of all kinds mostly ungodly and sinfull the punishment is already here and going to increase
The NWO wants to decrease population by 50%, but the Bible predicts that only 10% will be left. When the nations gather at Armageddon for the ultimate battle, they will be reduced to using horses, Revelation says. Apparently there will be lots of warriors left in Asia.