Drought

As a decade-long, most widespread drought ravages the U.S. farm sector, a stark divide is emerging between winners and losers. Over half of U.S. corn and soybean acreage is grappling with drought conditions, prompting farmers to mull over whether insurance payments will suffice to cover the cost of the crops they have sown this year. As of June 27, 65% of the Midwest was experiencing moderate drought or worse, the largest area in a decade, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported that 70%…

Just as the world was starting to breathe a sigh of relief after the tumultuous impact of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on food prices, a new threat looms on the horizon. A drought spanning across America’s breadbasket threatens to exacerbate food inflation, further straining consumers’ wallets. The dry spell has affected the wheat fields of the Great Plains and the Corn Belt in the Upper Midwest, leaving some areas with mere fractions of their regular rainfall as we approach crucial growing periods for corn and soybeans. This…