Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Drought and Heat Impacting US Crops


Crop Conditions Worsening in U.S. as Drought Withers Fields By Tony C. Dreibus and Jeff Wilson, Published: July 9

[Excerpted] July 9 (Bloomberg) -- The deterioration of the corn and soybean crops expanded in the U.S., dropping for a fifth straight week as unseasonably dry weather and record-high temperatures withered yield potential, the government said.

About 40 percent of the corn crop was in good or excellent condition as of July 8, down from 48 percent a week earlier and the lowest for this time of year since a drought in 1988, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today in a report. An estimated 40 percent of soybeans got the top ratings, down from 45 percent and also the lowest in 24 years for that date....
 
...Hot, dry weather also eroded the condition of spring wheat, a high-protein variety of the grain that’s used to make bread and pasta, grown in the northern Great Plains. Little or no rain has fallen in North Dakota, the biggest U.S. wheat grower, in the past week, National Weather Service data show.
About 66 percent of spring wheat was rated good or excellent, down from 71 percent the prior week and 73 percent a year earlier, the USDA said...

 

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