Drought
From the intense heat in the South to drought blanketing much of the U.S., weather stole headlines again in 2023. What caused such extreme conditions? One meteorologist explains the culprits of the heat and drought.
Some Republican House and Senate members have expressed their concerns to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, particularly regarding the new payment formula used for ERP in 2022.
The Panama Canal is now cutting its daily ship transits by half this winter due to severe drought.
With heat forecast to top 100 degrees in places, combined with the expectation for little to no rain, crop conditions could deteriorate and the biggest risk in the western and central Corn Belt.
The National Drought Mitigation Center estimates 67% of corn and 60% of soybeans are still considered to be in drought, a slight improvement from last week when drought covered 70% of corn and 63% of soybeans.
Hurricane-force winds swept from northern Missouri and Iowa all the way east to Illinois and Indiana. The derecho brought wind gusts up to 100 mph, flattening cornfields, but it also drenched soils with crucial rains.
Even with rains sweeping the Northern Corn Belt last weekend, the latest drought monitor shows drought continues to spread across Illinois with D2 (Severe Drought) taking a 28-point jump in a week.
Drought is deepening across the Midwest with 64% of the corn crop and 57% of the soybean crop across the U.S. now covered in drought, a sizable jump in just a week after NASS showed a historic drop in condition ratings.
The updated drought monitor indicates dryness will continue to expand across eastern Missouri, eastern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Drought continues to deepen its grip across the Corn Belt, with Iowa and Illinois seeing large jumps in the moderate and severe drought categories. Now, more of the U.S. corn and soybean crop is covered in drought.
Dry conditions spurred by La Nina weighed on areas of the Corn Belt in 2022. As La Nina fades, and El Nino starts to make a return, meteorologists say the weather shift could also signal better crop production in 2023.
What will the next decade hold for your farm? What factors should you use to weigh investments or crop planning? Here are five trends and data sets to ponder from USDA’s latest Agricultural Baseline Projections.
Text of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package was released early Tuesday morning. The Senate will vote first and intends to pass the measure before Thursday, leaving the House no time to demand changes.
As the Western U.S. faces a megadrought, why can’t the U.S. move water around the country like it’s done with energy? John Phipps explores the physical and political hurdles potential water infrastructure would face.
UNL says heavy rains across the nation this week may have eased the drought conditions in the short-term, but they won’t be enough for the long run.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced agricultural producers have already received more than $4 billion through the Emergency Relief Program (formerly WHIP+), representing 67% of the $6 billion projected to be paid.
Record-breaking heat. Unprecedented flooding. Hail that proved to be devastating to corn fields in Nebraska. The extreme weather can all be attributed to a ridge of high pressure parked over the country.
Less than 50% of the continental U.S. is in moderate drought for the first time since November, but with another drought record still running strong, forecasts show drought could grow over the summer months.
USDA says the launch of the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) will address increases in supplemental feed costs in 2021. Phase 1 of the payments is expected to total $577 million.
A once-a-century drought has lowered the water level of Argentina’s main grains transport river, reducing farm exports and boosting logistics costs in a trend that meteorologists said will likely continue into 2022.
The future of corn prices and the impact on fed livestock continues to be an unfolding, tumultuous situation.
A weather pattern known as La Nina created drought conditions, and subsequent wildfires, across the U.S. Great Plains has faded, But its weather cousin, El Nino, may develop, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
South Africa’s driest weather in more than a century has destroyed more than 5 percent of the nation’s cattle and pork-breeding herds, fueling food prices and hitting jobs, lawmakers heard on Tuesday.
Parts of the Texas Panhandle, Kansas and Nebraska could get some rain as early as this weekend. Other parts of the Midwest might have some moisture relief as well by early next week.