''Exceptional'' Drought Conditions Expand In The U.S., Likely Persisting Through February''

From Think Progress

''The stubborn U.S. drought that hit the Southeast and Midwest hard this summer isn’t letting up. According to the latest drought monitor, conditions have worsened slightly across the country, with “exceptional drought” conditions expanding from 38 percent of the lower-48 states to 42 percent. Those conditions could last into February.''

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''Dark days for UK farmers''

From Financial Times Video's

''Pesticide-resistant insects add insult to drought injury''

From Grist

''But now comes a report from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) on the damage rootworms are doing to the current corn crop and the very real concern farmers have that Monsanto’s seeds are no longer helping them control pests. The EPA is treating these latest reports seriously; according to the article, EPA officials visited some “problem fields” to observe possible evidence of resistance while awaiting results from Monsanto’s own scientists.

One pest expert MPR interviewed, Bruce Potter of the University of Minnesota, spoke more directly about the threat posed by rootworms, which appeared to have been held at bay by GMO corn until now. “We’re not going to make this go away … We’re stuck with managing this problem,” he told MPR.''

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''India's mid-summer nightmare''

From Hindustan Times

''Just two years ago, India had its worst drought in three decades, resulting in high food prices.

A patchy monsoon trims food output and hits farm income, which supports two-thirds of the Indian population, or about 800 million people. Rural spending on most items — from television sets to gold — goes up with adequate rains and farm output. This aids economic growth, keeps jobs and investment going. A sharp rise in rural consumer spending explains why India's rural markets are important. For instance, rural buyers account for close to 40% of India's total motorcycle sales.

 "We are more concerned about the impact of a weaker summer crop on primary food inflation (the whole price index)," said Chetan Ahya of Morgan Stanley Asia.''

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''The Oxygen Planet Struts Its Stuff''

From TomDispatch

''This summer's conditions may indeed be perfect for fire in the Southwest and West, but if you think of it as a “storm,” perfect or otherwise -- that is, sudden, violent, and temporary -- then you don’t understand what’s happening in this country or on this planet. Look at those 346 burnt homes again, or at the High Park fire that ate 87,284 acres and 259 homes west of Fort Collins, or at the Whitewater Baldy Complex fire in New Mexico that began in mid-May, consumed almost 300,000 acres, and is still smoldering, and what you have is evidence of the new normal in the American West.''

''World Braced For New Food Crisis''

From Nikkei


''The world is facing a new food crisis as the worst US drought in more than 50 years pushes agricultural commodity prices to record highs.

Corn and soyabean prices surged to record highs on Thursday, surpassing the peaks of the 2007-08 crisis that sparked food riots in more than 30 countries. Wheat prices are not yet at record levels but have rallied more than 50 per cent in five weeks, exceeding prices reached in the wake of Russia's 2010 export ban.

The drought in the US, which supplies nearly half the world's exports of corn and much of its soyabeans and wheat, will reverberate well beyond its borders, affecting consumers from Egypt to China.''

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''Disaster Declared in 26 U.S. States as Drought Sears Midwest''

From Bloomberg

''More than 1,000 counties in 26 states are being named natural-disaster areas, the biggest such declaration ever by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as drought grips the Midwest.'' 

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''Fixing America's Soon-To-Be Waterless Cities''

from the atlantic....

"With increasing rises in the temperature of the earth’s surface and atmosphere, this problem seems only likely to get worse.  The geographic details may shift from one season to another, but the long-range trend is toward further diminishing of our sources of water.

A major problem with so many environmental issues, including this one, is that the damage occurs slowly, so that people are lulled into gradually accepting additional increments of deteriorating conditions without alarm. But that doesn't change the facts."

Drought and Famine in Africa

a complete examination from aljazeera..........VIDEOS, TEXT AND PICS

Drought......A look around the Country

More than 40 percent of Oklahoma suffering exceptional drought....(LINK)

Despite rain, drought continues in south Florida......(LINK)

Drought intensifies in South Carolina........(LINK)

Somalia's Drought, America's Dilemma........(LINK)

Drought in central US deepens and widens.........(LINK)

Water concerns rising as cattle die in dry Texas....(LINK)

New Mexico: 'Drought forces pumping to meet Pecos water needs'

from chron..........

"New Mexico water managers said Friday they are hopeful that summer rains will alleviate the pains of a persistent drought, but until then, they're scrambling to meet demands across the state.

Along the Pecos River in eastern New Mexico, the Interstate Stream Commission is being forced for the first time to pump groundwater to augment the river's flow to meet a settlement with farmers in the Carlsbad Irrigation District.

On the lower Rio Grande, farmers have been negotiating with irrigation officials in New Mexico and Texas in hopes of getting additional water to extend what has been the shortest irrigation season on record.

In northern New Mexico, the city of Las Vegas has only enough water for the next 57 days.

"It's really pretty bad," said State Engineer John D'Antonio, New Mexico's top water official. "There are pockets around the state that are really hurting and unless the monsoons get here, there's not going to be any relief".....................READ MORE

'European drought raises fears of food riots'

from theaustralian......

"With northern Europe facing its worst drought since 1976, politicians in the West are expecting protests from farmers, consumer discontent and a strain on budgets. Third World nations are braced for riots as Europe's heatwave creates a rise in food prices and drives millions deeper into poverty.

"We are in a situation of crisis and of crisis management," French Ecology Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said. Meteorologists say that northern Europe has had 50 per cent less rain than normal over the past two months, while temperatures have been 4C higher than usual.

In France, water restrictions have been implemented across more than half the country and the drought is already comparable to 1976, when a heatwave wrecked the annual harvest"......LINK

'Communist China crisis over Yangtze river drought forces drastic dam measures'

from the guardian.......

"The Yangtze – Asia's biggest river – is experiencing its worst drought in 50 years, forcing an unprecedented release of water from the Three Gorges reservoir. The drought is damaging crops, threatening wildlifeand raising doubts about the viability of China's massive water diversion ambitions.

Between now and 10 June the dam will release 5bn cubic metres of water – equivalent to the volume of Lake Windermere in Britain every day – as engineers sacrifice hydroelectric generation for irrigation, drinking supplies and ecosystem support".............LINK

'Texas Wildfires Threaten Wheat Crop, Drive Food Prices Higher'

from care2.com.....

"Some agricultural experts are now predicting that Texas will lose two thirds of this year's wheat crop to drought and fire. And Texas is not the only U.S. state suffering from widespread crop damage this spring; Kansas and Oklahoma are also dealing with serious drought conditions, while Iowa and Minnesota are facing predictions of major floods.

Speculation that U.S. grain production will be unusually low this year drove wheat prices to a two-month high on Tuesday, which may have been good news for certain commodities speculators, but was bad news for pretty much everyone else on the planet.

Food prices worldwide have already been on the climb for several months, alarming international agencies that track the global economy. The World Bank recently reported that prices of basic food staples have risen 36%globally over last year"..........read more here

Photo Essay: Texas Wildfires..........

30 must see pics from the atlantic..............view them here


PRAY FOR RAIN...............

'Cuba faces its worst drought in 50 years'

from bbc..........

"The drought started two years ago, and reservoirs are now down to a fifth of their normal levels.

The government is providing road deliveries of water to more than 100,000 people in the worst affected areas of the capital, Havana.

The situation in Havana is compounded by a pipe network in poor condition.

The state-run newspaper Granma says up to 70% of water pipes supplying the capital are leaking and in urgent need of repair, the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says.

Residents are having to use buckets and bottles to fill up with water from the road deliveries.

"It's completely out of control," one resident, Ana Gomez, said. "Just imagine that you can't wash when you want to, you have to wash when you are able to."..........read more here

'Hope dwindling for farmers as drought lingers in Oklahoma, Texas'

all eyes on kansas now...........from westernfarmpress.com..........

• "Following what has been the driest four-month period since before the 1930s Dust Bowl, hope is dwindling, if not already lost, for wheat farmers of Oklahoma and Texas who desperately need rain. The forecast is not looking promising."
• "Any hits to U.S. agriculture amid rising food and gas prices will only add to the strain on the wallets of families and individuals across the nation and the globe, with the U.S. being the world's largest exporter of wheat and corn".........read more here

'Nearly All of Texas Now Experiencing Drought'

from wisconsin ag connection..........

"The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor released last week shows 98 percent of Texas now in a drought, and more than 86 percent in a severe drought or worse.

Furthermore, the northern third of Harris County has entered an extreme drought. For Houston, according to the National Weather Service, the period since Feb. 15 has been the driest such period on record for the city.

Conditions are worse still just to the northwest of Houston, where about 5 percent of the state centered on the Brazos Valley has entered into the worst category of drought, "exceptional."...............read it here