Nearly 220
counties in a dozen drought-stricken states were added Wednesday to the U.S.
government's list of natural disaster areas as the nation's agriculture chief
unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and ranchers grappling
with extreme dryness and heat.
The U.S.
Department of Agriculture's addition of the 218 counties means that more than
half of all U.S. counties - 1,584 in 32 states - have been designated primary
disaster areas this growing season, the vast majority of them mired in a drought
that's considered the worst in decades. Huffington Post
Counties in
Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming were included in Wednesday's
announcement. Huffington Post The latest
weekly Mid-America Business Conditions Index, released Wednesday, showed that
the ongoing drought and global economic turmoil is hurting business in nine
Midwest and Plains states, boosting worries about the prospect of another
recession, according to the report. Huffington Post Ninety-four
percent of U.S. corn crops have gone through the silking stage, while only 55
percent of soybean plants are setting pods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
said July 30. Both phases are critical for determining yields.
Bloomberg The percentage
of the nation’s corn crop rated very poor or poor rose to 48 percent in the week
ending July 29, while 47 percent of the soybean crop was in very poor or poor
condition, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Raw
Story
AT/ARA
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