drought

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97 Boats Stranded on Sluggish Mississippi

Drought causing ships to run aground in vital artery

(Newser) - The drought is drying up the mighty Mississippi as well as farmers' fields. An 11-mile stretch of the river has been closed due to low water levels, stranding 97 boats while dredging is carried out, and navigation markers are replaced, CBS reports. Officials say it's not clear when the...

Taxpayers on Hook for $10B as Drought Ravages Crops

Subsidized insurance program draws criticism

(Newser) - Crop farmers are on track to record about $18 billion in losses thanks to this year's historically nasty drought—and by one expert's estimate, the federal government is on the hook for about $10 billion of that, thanks to the heavily subsidized federal crop insurance program, the Washington ...

Feds to Buy $170M in Food From Farmers

Purchases for food banks to get quick cash to farmers

(Newser) - With American farms suffering from an ongoing and brutal drought , President Obama will today announce a plan to buy $170 million in pork, lamb, chicken, and catfish to help beleaguered farmers by providing immediate cash, reports Reuters . The announcement will be made at a campaign stop in Iowa, a state...

How the Drought Could Actually Help Farms

Devastated corn could prompt change: William G. Moseley

(Newser) - The drought is devastating America's corn crops—but that could actually be a good thing, argues William G. Moseley in the New York Times . Right now, the Midwest is "dangerously focused" on corn and soybeans, and the lack of diversity "restricts our diets, degrades our soils, and...

July Was Hottest Month in US History

It trumps all federal records going back to 1895

(Newser) - One more milestone to help remember the scorching weather of July: It is now in the books as the hottest month in US history, reports CNN . The average temperature for the contiguous US came in at 77.6 degrees, which is the highest mark since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

In Steamy Midwest Streams, Scads of Fish Die Off

Hot, dry summer killing off thousands

(Newser) - Thousands of fish are dying in the Midwest as one of the hottest, driest summers in history dries up rivers and pushes water temps in some spots to nearly 100 degrees. About 40,000 shovelnose sturgeon died in Iowa last week as the water temp hit 97, while Nebraska fishery...

House Ditches Huge Farm Aid Bill, Leaves for Recess

House passes stopgap measure, but Senate wouldn't take it up

(Newser) - It's August and many Americans are taking well-earned summer vacations. And then there's Congress. House lawmakers took off for their August recess yesterday after refusing to consider a five-year measure to aid America's stricken farmers, reports the New York Times . Instead, they passed a stopgap $383 million...

Half of US Counties Now Disaster Areas

Drought has ravaged much of the nation

(Newser) - The worst drought in decades has officially ravaged more than half the counties in America. The USDA declared 218 counties across a dozen states natural disaster areas yesterday, bringing the total number of counties bearing that distinction to 1,584, the AP reports. The disaster designation makes farmers and ranchers...

Mississippi River Drying Up
 Mississippi River Drying Up  
Jul 30, 2012 6:16 PM CDT

Mississippi River Drying Up

Shipping industry shivers at the thought

(Newser) - The worst US drought in 50 years is making the mighty Mississippi River dry up and could curb shipping there altogether, reports Time . Dry conditions mean narrower, shallower passageways, so shippers are lightening their loads to avoid running aground. That could be huge, because 60% of the country's grain...

Amid Drought, Homeowners 'Fix' Lawns With ... Paint

Using green dye on brown grass is catching on, says AP

(Newser) - Is your lawn wilting into a brown wasteland because of the drought? Consider a paint job. That's the solution many are relying on to give their dead yards the look of blooming green life as the worst drought in decades parches a huge expanse of the US. One New...

Drought Reveals City Submerged Under Reservoir

Monument City so popular, area is closed off

(Newser) - Indiana's Monument City was submerged half a century ago, when the Salamonie Lake reservoir was built. But severe drought has brought water levels down by so much—more than 12 feet—that the hidden city has been revealed. Though there’s not much to see (dirt roads, building foundations,...

Heat, Drought Savaging US Infrastructure

Roads crack, nuclear plants shut down as weather grows extreme

(Newser) - Farming isn't the only thing being devastated by the country's ongoing drought—much of the US' infrastructure is getting pounded, too, as the record-setting heat takes its toll on concrete, steel, and pavement, reports the New York Times . In Washington, DC, 100-degree temperatures caused a subway to...

Drought Forcing Ranchers to Sell Cattle

Which means you can expect beef prices to go up

(Newser) - The lingering drought spanning much of the nation is leaving farmers with wizened pastures and crops, forcing them to sell off cattle—and fast. The AP spoke to several ranchers, including Ken Grecian of Kansas, who has already sold 40 pairs of cows and calves since the dry spell began....

End to Drought Could Come in ... October

Corn, soybean prices reach record highs

(Newser) - The worst drought in decades shows few signs of letting up; in fact, it could stretch through October and get even worse, according to weather officials. Following the hottest half-year ever recorded, "we don't have a reason for saying it's going to improve," notes one. "...

Our Worst Drought Disaster Ever Gets ... Bigger

Dairy, meat prices are headed through the roof

(Newser) - With severe drought cracking parched fields across the nation, the Agriculture Department has expanded the largest disaster area declared in its history , adding 39 new counties in eight states to its list, reports the Wall Street Journal . The current tally sits at 1,297 counties in 29 states. Ag Secretary...

Drought Now Worst Since 1956
 Drought Now Worst Since 1956 
Jul 17, 2012 7:52 AM CDT

Drought Now Worst Since 1956

More than half of continental US affected

(Newser) - The US is in the grip of the worst drought in more than 50 years, with almost 80% of the country either in drought or in abnormally dry conditions. The NOAA's latest report finds that 56% of the continental US is in drought, the sixth-highest percentage on record and...

USDA Declares Biggest Disaster Ever

One-third of America's counties now natural-disaster areas

(Newser) - It's a confirmation of just how brutal this season has been: The US Department of Agriculture yesterday declared the biggest disaster in its history, identifying 1,016 counties in 26 states as natural-disaster areas. That covers about a third of America's counties, notes Bloomberg . The apocalyptic-sounding declaration brings...

More than Half of US in Drought

Conditions meet definition in 56% of continental US

(Newser) - Two stats of note to drive home just how hot it has been and continues to be:
  • Parched earth: Drought conditions now exist in 56% of the continental US, the biggest percentage in the 12 years that records have been kept by the weekly Drought Monitor, reports MSNBC . The heat
...

Bad News for Food Prices as Corn Crop Shrivels

This was supposed to be the best harvest in generations

(Newser) - This year saw the largest corn planting in 75 years, and only two months ago, experts predicted a record corn harvest that would send food prices downward. But those high hopes have given way to murmurs about the drought of 1988 ... and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Portions of...

All Over US, Fireworks Axed Due to Heat

They're banned in scores of communities, particularly in the West

(Newser) - The red glare of rockets will be missing from scores of Independence Day celebrations tonight, Reuters finds. Dry conditions and record-breaking heat have turned much of America into a tinderbox and caused many communities—particularly those in the West—to cancel their annual fireworks displays. "All it would take...

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