Drought putting Indiana corn crop at risk [View all]

[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.