Cloud Seeders Help Make It Rain over Drought-Stricken Texas
Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Craig Funke’s job is to fly a small plane to the edge of violent thunderstorms and back. The former commercial pilot is not some adrenaline junkie courting danger. He is a cloud seeder in Pleasanton, Texas, chasing menaci…
Beef Prices Expected to Rise This Year as Farmers Deal with Drought
DC Productions/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Despite the torrential rainfall in the South with Hurricane Isaac, severe drought is affecting the Midwest, which is expected to make the already rising price of beef go higher.Many farmers are selling their cattl…
Drought Affecting Mississippi River Levels and Traffic
Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Experts who watch the Mississippi River say they haven’t seen it this low since the 1940s.These days, the river, which sometimes resembles a slow-motion interstate highway for barge traffic, has narrowed to one l…
Obama Highlights Federal Response to Drought in Iowa
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(BOONE, Iowa) — Touring drought-stricken Iowa, President Obama Monday showcased the power of incumbency as he touted his administration’s response to the drought and announced new federal aid to help farmers and ranch…
Drought Taking Toll on Corn, Soybean Farmers
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(OMAHA, Neb.) — It’s been 56 years since the U.S. last experienced a drought as bad as the one this year. And according to an Agriculture Department report released today, the drought has drastically reduced production esti…
Obama Authorizes $30 Million More in Drought Aid
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The Obama administration is authorizing an additional $30 million to help farmers and ranchers in areas hit by the severe drought.“This has been an all-hands-on-deck response…But obviously, we’ve…
Drought Conditions Worst Since 1988
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared an additional 218 counties in 12 states as disaster areas because of damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat — that means more than half of all the na…
Ethanol Waiver Sought Amid Drought
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Groups representing the livestock and poultry industry are petitioning the Obama administration to waive requirements for gasoline refineries to blend ethanol into their fuel production for one year.The groups have…
Food Prices Could Rise 5 Percent in Next 9 Months
Jupiterimages/Pixland/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The cost of filling grocery carts in America is going up. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it is projecting as much as a five percent price hike for some food items over the nex…
Food Prices Could Rise 5 Percent in Next 9 Months
Jupiterimages/Pixland/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The cost of filling grocery carts in America is going up. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it is projecting as much as a five percent price hike for some food items over the nex…
Milk Prices May Rise as Drought Spreads
Noel Hendrickson/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The devastating heat and drought that now covers more than half the continental U.S. is taking its toll on farmers and their crops. The price of soybeans and corn have hit a new high and whe…
As Drought Persists, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Prays for Rain
SAUL LOEB/AFP/GettyImages(WASHINGTON) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is looking for some divine influence to bring relief from the drought, which is devastating crops and likely to push up food prices.“I get on my knees every day,” Vi…
Higher Food Prices Likely as Drought Worsens
Ryan McVay/Photodisc(NEW YORK) — The price of many food products could increase later this year as much of the country is hit with the worst drought in a generation. Wholesale corn prices shot up nearly 5 percent Monday, and soybean prices are also he…
Agriculture Secretary: Drought Won’t Affect Food Prices This Year
Jupiterimages/Pixland/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Food prices may go up next year, but for now the severe drought conditions should not have an immediate effect on prices at the grocery store, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.“The price…
USDA Declares Natural Disaster in 26 Drought-Stricken States
USDA(WASHINGTON) — As more than half of the U.S. battles through drought conditions, the Department of Agriculture announced this week a series of improvements that will help farmers and ranchers receive federal assistance faster.The move, which will …
Prices On the Rise as Drought Strikes the Corn Belt
Ablestock/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) — About 60 percent of the American corn belt is now trapped in a drought. Wide sections of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio aren’t seeing rain. This has left nearly one third of the corn crop in these state…
Sweltering Heat May Wreak Havoc on Corn Crops
Ablestock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The blistering heat behind the bone dry soil is creating major problems for farmers across the corn-belt states.“We’re in a critical point, could be the beginning of the end,” said Dave Kestel, a farm…
Superman, Batman Join Fight to Save Horn of Africa
Justice League fights hunger. (DC Entertainment)(NEW YORK) — As the months of drought and famine drag on in the impoverished Horn of Africa, some heroes are coming to the rescue: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, along with the rest o…
Flash Floods Wreak Havoc on Houston
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(HOUSTON) — Strong winds and flash floods plagued southeast Texas Monday after an unusually dry winter, with rainfall exceeding the monthly average in a few hours.City roads were flooded and thousands of Houston residents were wi…