July 6, Pork Network – (National) U.S. drought expands, intensifies.
The U.S. Drought Monitor report issued July 5 confirmed what most have suspected: the drought, now covering up to half the nation, is expanding and intensifying. The percent of contiguous U.S. land area experiencing exceptional drought in July reached the highest levels in the history of the U.S. Drought Monitor, said an official at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nearly 12 percent of the contiguous United States fell into the “exceptional” classification, according to the report. Eighteen percent of the country is classified as under either extreme or exceptional drought, said a University of Nebraska assistant geoscientist. The extreme dry, hot conditions in the nation’s mid-section are driving up corn and soybean prices to record or near-record levels. The latest drought report featured the expansion and intensification of dryness in large sections of the country, with only southern Texas reporting some improvement. The dryness was beginning to take a significant toll on some of the nation’s crops, pastures, and rangelands. In the primary growing States for corn and soybeans (18 each), 22 percent of the crop is in poor or very poor condition, as are 43 percent of the pastures and rangelands, and 24 percent of the sorghum crop.
Source: http://www.agprofessional.com/news/US-drought-expands-intensifies-161473755.html