Drought putting Indiana corn crop at risk

[AngryOldDem]

http://www.wthr.com/story/18956688/thunderstorms-dont-relieve-indianas-drought


<<Purdue University agricultural experts say Indiana has already lost 13 to 20 percent of its corn crop, and if more rain doesn't come soon, farmers will be in even deeper trouble. The new U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday list nearly a quarter of Indiana as being in extreme drought. That's the same percentage in that category as a week ago, but the report now lists 89 percent of the state as in at least moderate drought.

Also Thursday, Purdue agricultural experts spoke to the media about how the drought of 2012 is already reaching historic proportions. They said the grain crop in Indiana is looking as bad as it did in 1988, when drought cut harvests by 30 percent.

"I'm fairly certain there will be some truly disastrous situations for individual growers. It is serious. It could get way more serious if this heat and drought don't break pretty soon. That is the big uncertainty - we don't know if it's gonna break, but it certainly would appear that it's not going to break very soon based on what we've heard from our meteorologist colleagues," said Bob Nielsen, a professor of agronomy and extension corn specialist at Purdue University.

Purdue experts believe Indiana farmers will lose hundreds of millions of dollars if the drought continues and corn is unable to pollinate. But the extent of the drought will be felt by everyone, since grain is used to feed livestock, dairy cows, poultry and other food sources. Food prices are expected to increase by 3.5 percent for the remainder of this year and possibly going into 2013.<<

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As Indiana goes, so go other corn- and grain-producing states.

[Purveyor]

1. I'm not just seeing curled corn anymore as now some of the fields are going brown around

mid-michigan.

Some eastern areas of the state received some rains in the form of damaging t-storms but we only got a sprinkle this morning.

Was 101 here yesterday with 101 expected today and 104 tomorrow. The heatwave is expected to break on saturday...hopefully with a good soaking.

[pscot]

2. This may be the biggest news story of all

but you wouldn't know it from the MSM.

[Chipper Chat]

3. Indiana is outside the MSM "coverage area"

Last Friday the weather derecho storm caused 91mph winds and unbelievable damage here. But the MSM concentrated on some overturned trees in Maryland. The only time Indiana gets covered is when Mitch Daniels is in the news or there is a prison break.

[AngryOldDem]

4. Well, wait until when food prices go through the roof.

Everything from beef to dairy will eventually be affected.

We were out driving last Friday (just ahead of the derecho) and corn was nowhere near as high as it should be for this time of year. Some stalks, in fact, were starting to turn brown at their base. We are 6 inches behind in rain here, and have not had a "decent" rainfall since late April. At this rate, we will need some kind of tropical system to come up from the Gulf so we can have several days of steady rain. Fat chance of that happening.

I don't think people have fully realized all the possible ramifications from this -- food shortages to water shortages. While the drought may ease up from time to time, I think this pattern has settled in to stay.

[pscot]

5. Do farmers irrigate in Indiana and Ilinois?

They didn't used to, but I've been away for the last 50 years. So maybe it's changed. I guess a lot of corn is now grown in what was the dust bowl, and that's mostly irrigated. You have to wonder how long that can go on.