E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSOn Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported half of the nation's counties have been declared disasters because of severe droughts that has affected the West, Midwest and Southeast. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
Just over half of the counties in the U.S. are now labeled "natural disaster areas" after the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday added 218 counties in 12 states to the list.
With drought drying up food crops and animal feedstock, the USDA also said it was allowing haying and grazing on 3.8 million protected acres, many of them wetlands, and that insurance companies agreed to a 30-day grace period for farmers on insurance premiums.
"The assistance announced today will help U.S. livestock producers dealing with climbing feed prices, critical shortages of hay and deteriorating pasturelands," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement announcing the moves.
The Nature Conservancy said it was OK with the emergency haying and grazing as long as it is "carried out with minimal impacts to wildlife and habitats."
Across 32 states, ranchers and farmers in 1,584 counties -- 50.3 percent of the total -- are now eligible for low-interest loans. Some 90 percent of those counties were listed due to drought conditions.
That's a new record and one that's been broken repeatedly in recent weeks as more counties have been added. The declarations first started on July 12.
On Monday, the USDA rated as "good-to-excellent" just 24 percent of the corn crop and 29 percent of the soybean crop, both down 2 percentage points from the previous week.
The ratings are the worst since 1988, another year of severe drought in the nation's crop-growing mid-section.
CNBC's Bertha Coombs reports on the worsening condition of crops.
Crop shortages in turn mean higher food prices. The USDA last week raised its estimates of food price inflation, saying prices could rise as much as 3.5 percent this year and up to 4 percent in 2013, led by meat.
And while the latest USDA steps might help ranchers and farmers, those groups on Monday joined forces to ask that the Environmental Protection Agency curb the mandate to produce ethanol from corn, saying it was driving up prices for animal feed.
Related story: Give us an ethanol break, livestock producers say
A state or ethanol refiner must ask for such a waiver, and that hasn't happened, at least not yet.
In a statement to NBC News, the EPA said it was in "close contact with USDA as they and we keep an eye on crop yield estimates, and we will review any data or information submitted by stakeholders, industry and states."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Rhino horns taken by dealer who double-crossed feds
- Cops: California professor plotted high school attack
- 'He served his country': WWII vet beat up, robbed
- Judge in Zimmerman trial refuses to step down
- Video: A closer look at the 'Beltway UFO'
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
There is no climate change.... says Hannity... so let him help them... or even better... they are good in praying, why don't they pray for rain?
Maybe they should get some of the Indians back, they stole the land from... let them do a rain dance !!!
How many trillion will this add to the national debt once the disaster money is appropriated? Think our government doesn't screw with the weather? Think again. The plan is totally take our country under. None one more perfect in control than Tom Vilsack to be one of the people at the helm of this with USDA. The A'hole almost totally destroyed the State of Iowa before we could get him out of office! Now, he's going to help take the country under! Way to go Tom, we knew you could do it!
Well, no one can help the weather. Bulls**t! Our government has been screwing with the weather since the 1960's!
Let the states rot. They are Republican voters anyway. Mitt would say let them rot!!!!!!!!!!! Vote for Mitt morons!!!!!!!
barney. Agreed. Everyone might want to look up Chem Trails and Art Bell and now George Noory, Coast to Coast Radio. Kinda make you wonder what they put up there, and would never tell anyone. This was not just the U.S. but worldwide.
And I imagine they are Global Climate Change deniers. Bet they voted for Bush twice and liked the Cheney energy handouts to carbon producing oil. Let them sit the drought out and stop asking for government handouts that they complain about all the time. LMAO
We will have to cut food stamps due to the drought- what will you do Chris?
THIS ^^
Nail on the head Dev, I say cut ALL food stamps and give the money to the farmers. More food in the future for those that actually want to contribute to society.
So when will the news media begin writing about Global warming. After we are all dead. So what if the FOXNEWS crowd and Limbaughites scream bloody murder and liberal bias. It's been over 25 years of increasing heat and unpredictable weather patterns....every year gets worse. Let's face it , half the voting electorate are so brain washed by corporate media and GOP propaganda outlets, they are beyond hope. But why sacrafice the rest of u to soothe the conservative brain dead.
It is getting hotter than hell. oHhhh no maybe not as hot as hell but if you believe then you know it is hot because of it. Climate change..the water line must not go down or the artic will melt faster trying to put back what we take . A natural cooling mechanism so to speak. As we cover the earth with more water reflecting the sun what will happen will the earth cool or heat . Can we spread water like we do building massive water supplies and still expect the earths water line to remain the same without adding more water ? Nooo so the poles will melt then the earthm will cool again and we will all starve in the mean time..2012 12 120120
First... LET ME SEE THE TAX RETURNS !!!
Then we talk about the drought ! :-)
They knew this weather pattern was building long before it effected any crops. And no one has never heard of cloud seeding!!!!!!!! No one is our goverment??????
They wanted it to happen. They are no strangers to weather control and screwing with the weather. Research HAARP also. Yes it does exist and it does effect the weather.
The more they can make as many people as possible dependent on the government, the better chance Socialism can take control.
You haarpies never describe what it is, explain your little pet theory, since I am too lazy and uninterested to look it up.
And no, the drought is not remotely connected to global warming.
"Cloud-seeding?" Fairy tale science... It failed in the the 1950's in this country. It has failed in various other places since. Its most recent failure was in Beijing, where the Chinese tried to use it to clear and cleanse the air before the Olympics.
The more people thye can have dependent on the government, even if they have to stoop to a level through disaster relief money, the better chance Socialism has of taking control.
Just imagine if you have the power to create the disaster, or just let it happen, how easily you can stack the deck in your favor.
This is not science fiction.
To.barney"""
No more like Twilight Zone ish...
The debate on climate change is fine and should continue. But the big question should be why are we using food to make ethanol when there are plenty of better alternatives? With so much hunger in the world, it is insane to keep using corn to make ethanol. Climate change or not, until this country gets a real forward looking energy policy, we will continue to see shortages as a result of flooding, drought, crop loss due to whatever.
Sometime ago, I was asking the very same question. The truth is 1 out of every 5 rows of corn goes to ethanol. One out of every two rows go to China. There is actually so much grain production now, all over the World that what we produce here is not all that significant...yet they are going to use this as a reason to try to spike food prices, once again.
The USA now purchases everything from foreign countries so now we can purchase all our food too!
The problem of drought in the USA could have been fixed 30 years ago and the current problem of Unemployment could be fixed now although most of the employment would be temporary.
American government has no vision and the American people lost theirs generations ago. I tried in the beginning of the 80's to make people aware of drought and the solution to it but no one wanted to here it and they still do not so now everyone will pay the price because of our great government that everyone entrust so much! Ha, ha, ha, I now get the last laugh although it is not very funny!
Now wait a minute .. "declared disaster areas "...what does that mean ..the government is gonna step in ..why.. what about all this get government out of our lives mantra
Oh I guess that's just unless" we " need the government for something ..huh
Its all part of the greater plan!
Amunaka
Strangely that is exactly RIGHT! The government should only be called in when something is DIRELY NEEDED. It should NOT be all up in our faces telling us when, where, how, why, and what to do. It should be kept so small when it is not needed as to be nearly unnoticeable. It definitely shouldn't be taking half our incomes and WASTING IT!!! And we should NOT be living in a police state, as we do.
And screw political correctness.
To Brian """
Funny Everybody depends on the government at one point or another in their lifetimes ..if not daily..who makes the decision of what they want the government to do for them but not for others ...what's considered waste and what's not and to who ..we don't live in a police state not yet anyway
Wasn't it a republican that said
"That a government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. "
Does that have any real meaning in this country?
The goper mobs will do everything they can to deny it happened and provide some sort of aid or relief.
Its all because of that global cooling thing News Crap is blaming on teachers unions.
Land is $12,000 per acre that is 5 times the price of 10 years ago. The farmers have had record crops and income for the past 15 years. Now more wellfare for the farmers are we nuts?? Vote them all out!!!
When people show some genuine patriotism and pitch in, governments can do something to offer relief during natural disasters like this one, and prepare for future crises.
When groups like the so-called "Tea Party Patriots" screech for "reform" performed with a machete, a crisis like this means we end up cutting our own throats.
If you believe the private sector is going to offer significant crisis relief... Heh. That's very cute.
By all means, demand reform where there's waste and clutter, bad decision-making and inefficient bureaucracy. But if you're just calling for cutting taxes and eliminating government for its own sake, moments like this beg the question: stupidity or evil? There are no other options.
Americans cut their own throats generations ago!
How many trillion will this add to the national debt once the disaster money is appropriated? Think our government doesn't screw with the weather? Think again. The plan is totally take our country under. None one more perfect in control than Tom Vilsack to be one of the people at the helm of this with USDA. The A'hole almost totally destroyed the State of Iowa before we could get him out of office! Now, he's going to help take the country under! Way to go Tom, we knew you could do it!
More government spending, USDA Rural Development Program. They have large signs posted in parts of Iowa on Socialists programs. Lists Tom Villsack, Dept of Ag and Barack Obama, President. Best thing to do is go up and pi** on the sign. These jokers are both in it together. I never realized that as Villsack was trying to destroy the State of Iowa, that he was actually a king-pin of a much larger plan ans it's agenda. I'm ashamed that any sort of this type of person could be from the State of Iowa. He spent a lot of the State's money worthlessly and let many things in the State go to hell-in-a-handbasket.
Well, no one can help the weather. Bulls**t! Our government has been screwing with the weather since the 1960's!
My wife is currently in the middle of writing a paper for school on all the ways the government has completely destroyed the agriculture business and farming in the USA. It is to bad she has to do all her research online instead of being close enough to talk to actual farmers.
So they want us to pay them for their losses and pay them more for the food too? How about we recognize Global warming is real and caused by man, then these are no longer "natural disasters" but "man made disasters"..
That's just it, you know. We know things are warming up by man-made or natural. Whichever school of thought you want to follow, makes no difference to me. We have the ability to help the situation. Cloud seeding can help a shortage of rainfall. They knew this was coming and they did nothing. They let it happen. Wouldn't you try to do what you can do to avert a national disaster?
What could be "their" motive other than to let it happen and then let the government come to the financial rescue while at the same time plunge the country into added national debt that would choke a horse. Has to make a person sit back and really wonder, whom and what is trying to take this country under.
I live in an area that is one of the science capitals of the world. A lot of these people are my friends. I have yet to meet a reputable scientist (climate scientist) who is not convinced that global warming is a reality. These scientists are Republicans, Democrats, Independents and "who gives a s**t?" Yet, despite their political affiliations, they all believe in global warming. What they're talking about now is how to prepare and compensate and overcome. They see a time when ice melt from the Arctic and the Antarctic is going to raise ocean levels to a significant degree. Low lying areas will yield to the sea. Those coastal states with significant areas at or below sea level are going to become smaller states. With more water in liquid form it becomes possible that we will have more rain, not less. According to them, it is difficult to predict all of the changes that will occur, where drought and where flood. Temperatures will definitely rise, but that is only a part of what happens. Habitats will change, leading to die offs of some, perhaps many, species. Some areas may become swampland as rising water levels simply stop run-off. Croplands in some areas will become non-arable while other areas which didn't lend themselves to agriculture may become more fertile. Diseases will increase, as warmer temperatures are more conduicive to bacterial growth. Population control may become a moot point as famine, disease and flood take care of that problem. The real question isn't about whether or not global warming is real. The real question is what we can do about it. At some point, even the most ignorant among us will be willing to surrender their dependence on carbon production because they will no longer be able to deny the evidence before their eyes.
You folks who want to live in a fantasy world are welcome to do so. It doesn't really matter. The globe will continue to warm with or without your belief. Just don't ask for government assistance when the sh*t hits the fan.
And we shouldn't have to look for government help when this happens. The pioneers in this country didn't. However, this government wants everyone, in every way possible to be as dependent on the government as possible to further a huge socilaist agenda. Many will fall for it, because no other way is known other than the love for almighty dollar, which is worth about $.04 cents by the latest estimates.
The USDA wants to funnel a ton of money to the food stamp program. Also how the USDA is involved in Rural Property development programs is crazy. There's been a lot of under the table, double dealing that has went on between both parties that is just now coming to light. They have hi-jacked this country. It's like the health care bill....you'll have to read it to know what's in it. And no one knows or can figure it out until piece by piece is made law.....bulls**t!
Both parties are blame! The majority of both Houses, the Aholes feed from the trough.
To many people on here blaming the farmers instead of the Government for their interference and the take over of the Agriculture business. To many people that have no idea what is really going on! Sad, very Sad!
Oh, they're out to control or screw up any business. In farming, a large socialist corporation like Monsanto is no help. They are in the plan. This what people have a hard time figuring out, there are large far right corpoartions and far light socilaist corporations. That is why the tax breaks have stayed in place....they benefit both!
Says in the good book the weather will be freaky near the end times..... just saying. I mean it SAYS IT. It really does. It is in there, not making this up. Believe what you want, but if the weather is changing I know EXACTLY who is doing it and it isn't man.
And you CAN'T stop it no more than you can stop a class 5 tornado or stop the Moon form orbiting the Earth. Don't believe me, stop it then. Get back to me when you have this accomplished.
I'm going to believe a dead mammoth over a liberal genius. The dead mammoth knows GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGES. I guess those mammoths farted too much and their intestinal gasses changed the climate, those darn irresponsible Ice age creatures!
Cut our aid to the Muslim Brotherhood and everywhere else in the world for now. We have our own problems here at home.
<deleted by me didnt post correctly>
@!$%#_you
Your name says everything I need to know about liberal extremists and their opinions. It fits you well, I approve!
I just have to ask...I've read it dozens of times here and it just isn't getting throught to me. Aside from the tax reforms, federal assistance, and FDA influences; aside from the collateral damage on these places and the people who live and work on their land; and aside from patriotism as a whole, since when does a single person, group or even government have control over the weather?
Which government is it again that determines the course of the jet stream? And which person controls the atmospheric pressure? Who are the ones that turned up the temperature? And the humidity--which dumba$$ decided to push that button? These are the million dollar questions...and they will never be answered.
The impression I had is that the only way we have an impact on the climate is as a whole. With almost 7 billion people on the planet it seems like we could make some kind of dent on the planet's sustainability and weather patterns. But how could it be possible for one man (Obama, Bush, Cheney, etc.), one administration, or even one government be at fault?
The fact of the matter is that regardless of whether we are red or blue, black or white, or yellow or brown; whether you are part of the many with little or part of the few with plenty; we're all on the same sinking ship. But that may not matter anyways--if we have summers like this one boats may become less useful anyways!
Weather control came into large play during the 1960's. We caused the rain in Vietnam to flood the opposition and tilt the odds in our favor. That is documented fact. They have only screwed with it much more since. If the general population only really knew what really goes on.
Show me where to find these documented facts--I want to know what the general population doesn't. Plese put up the link(s)...
Oh, they have screwed with mother nature more than they would ever care to admit and mother nature, or karma, has it's means of revenge. That's part of it. The insane people in real control of the World believe "they" are some descendants of Egyptian people, Gods and mystical beliefs. Yes, they truly believe this. Many U.S. presidents have believed it. I guess you truly do have to be nuts to be President of the U.S. I don't think the majority of them were ever palying with a full deck. And then we wonder why our country is so screwed up!
I'm sure IBM, Prudential, BP, Shell, GE, Ford, BoA, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, Chevron, Mobile, United Nuclear, and Master Card will soon be stepping in offering assistance to those in the affected areas any day now. Time to give the Federal Government which has no money, a break.
Well, it'll sure be before the entitlement liberals actually get off their ass and do anything. Good point.