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Subscribe to RSSFarmers in Missouri and across the Midwest are suffering through a historic drought leaving behind scorched pastures and dried-up ponds. NBC's Jay Gray reports.
“Normally they begin in July and go through the middle of August, but this year they started in June. So we've had an extraordinary amount of heat and lack of water."
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack designated all of Missouri’s 114 counties as disaster areas, enabling farmers to access federal assistance, in mid-July. As much as 93 percent of the state is suffering through extreme drought conditions.
David Franscka said it's the worst his family has seen in more than 50 years of dairy farming.
Paying more for feed than getting for milk
"This year, with the intense heat we've had and the lack of rain, we've had only two measurable rains since April 30,” said Franscka.
NBC's Jay Gray reports from a dairy farm in Bolivar, Mo., where farmers are struggling to pay sky-high hay and feed prices for their livestock, spurred on by the drought.
Ponds have dried up, forcing his family to haul as much as 8,000 gallons of water each day to the cattle herd. Pastures aren't producing any hay or grass for grazing either, leaving many farmers, like Franscka, with no choice but to buy feed – which right now costs more than the milk he's producing.
"'We've spent in excess of $150,000 over the last three months just on the added costs,” he said. “Anytime you're getting less for your milk than you're paying for your feed – it's not going to come out.”
“That's what's discouraging, knowing you’re going in the hole everyday money-wise,” he said. “But you have to keep hoping and holding on, thinking it's going to change."
Some smaller farms have been forced to close down – selling-off their cattle for slaughter.
Drought conditions plague much of the United States after a summer of scorching temperatures and a lack of rain. The dryness is affecting America's farmland, threatening crops like soybean and corn.
Franscka said he's sold 60 out of the 1,000 head of cattle he had at the start of the summer – to help pay the bills and keep the milk flowing until the rain does.
"You persevere day to day, and just try to do what you can do today to make it till tomorrow. Just keep praying to the good Lord that he's going to send some rain,” he said.
It’s a prayer that continues to echo across Missouri, and the entire Midwest.
As the drought continues, ranchers worry for the future especially now that the total number of cattle in the U.S. is already the smallest in 60 years. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports.
More coverage of the drought:
Drought sends Mississippi into ‘uncharted territory’
‘Best year ever’ for some farmers outside drought region
Drought expected to take toll at checkout
Americans tell their story of #Drought2012
In drought-stricken Wisconsin, farmers helping farmers
Emergency well drilling brings relief to farmers stricken by drought
Have you been affected by the worst drought in more than 50 years? Share your photos with us on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter with the tag #Drought2012. You can also upload your photos in the box below.
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Rick Perry tried that last year in Texas. Didn't work.
No sense in Praying until there is Repentance. Stop Murdering our Nation's Children with Abortion. Stop Burning corn for fuel. Stop endorsing homosexuality. Stop pressuring Israel to divide GOD'S Land. Stop Mocking GOD and HIS Word, etc. or a few Burnt crops will be the Least of our Worries. "HIS Word is Settled in Heaven." Psalm 119:89 Not man's.
Matthew 5:45, .......it rains on the just and unjust!
Maybe stop spending trillions on illegitimate wars and the Military Industrial Complex? Blessed are the peacemakers? If those are HIS words, then you've turned your back on HIM. Repent yourself, jackwag.
Hey Mississippi, how's that "no global warming" working for ya?
I think we should require the farmers to prove who they voted for...if they voted for the GOP and their climate change denial, they don't get federal funds.
If they voted for Democrats who are trying to halt global warming, then they get relief.
Quit giving people money who vote against their own interests.
Well said pstttttt. Agree.We are far behind.
Well help is soon on the way, at least Romney posed with a poor Iowa farmer in the cornfield of one of his 54 farms. He didn't pose in front of the farmer's house though which looks like a giant spaceship landing on the roof of a house.
Rumney blocked the passage of a rain bill that would have allowed rain to rain on the farmers property.
Things have really gone to pot ever since they added "Under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. Maybe it's time to hitch our wagon to a different deity.
Google : "The Bellamy Salute"
Bill Bellemy
Let me guess what the right wingers are thinking. The reason it wont rain is because Obama?
"Prayer" : how to do nothing and still think your helping.
I wished on a bunch of shooting stars I saw on Saturday night and none of my wishes came true.
Seriously people? I really expected to read these comments and see a bunch of nonsense from PETA luving idiots. Instead what I see is lack of rain being blamed on everything from technology to party affiliation, homosexuality, abortion or a fictional diety(depending on your beleifs). Truely? Is this what this Country is coming to. Am I a Christian? No, more the anti christian. Do I fault christions for praying for help? No, whatever helps them through this rough time mentally. Do I approve of the current president, his policies or the way the country is being run under him? NO, but he can't make it rain either. Am I Republican? Yes, and I think that all of Washington should do more in this time of need, bothe the House and the Senate.
Knock of the useless, pointless back and forth banter of he said/she said. As for you Psttttt, if you don't live in this Great Country, SHUT THE F#@K UP about our policies and parties.
Dude. Yes, We Can Make It Rain -- it's call CLOUD SEEDING -- new technology! I know!! WOW!
Are we really sure this isn't because of gay marriage? Maybe if we give more tax cuts to the rich it will rain.
I'm not really going to add much to this discussion. Enough has been posted already about the futility of prayer and the lack of any real help from any God, and I'm not going to repeat these points except that I already have.
All I'm going to do now is express my sympathy for those who have had to undergo this horrible drought and it is my hope but not prayer that the drought ends soon.
While it's hard to connect any single event of weather to global warming, it's very likely that prolonged extremes of weather are due to global warming and we should probably be doing something about that. Unfortunately the political climate is such that the Republicans and Fox news have made global warming a dirty word, so it's now going to be very difficult for us to do anything about global warming until it's far too late.
Well, people would have to change their DRIVING a car behavior to reduce use of OIL to reduce carbon dioxide causing a "green house" effect, trapping hot sunlight on earth, etc.
Major droughts two years in a row. Starting to look like a pattern. If so, we are screwed.
The unfortunate thing is that eventually, some day it will rain. Then the deluded prayors will say "Thank you god for answering my prayer"... while at the same time they are ignoring their belief that it was god who caused the drought in the first place. For those people, god can't lose. OH WELL, at least the delusionists are dying out.
Romney said ...... it isn't right to make the billionairs spend money to stop poluting the earth just so we can have good air ,good water , corn crops , fruit crops ..... rain and things like that ..... he actually said that in a campaign speech .
If he actually said that, you won't have a problem providing a credible link.
My opinion:
GOD is Generates, Operates, Destroys (G O D). This word "GOD" is copied from Hindus by westerners long time back (G O D - is Brahma Vishnu and Maheshwara).
Proof that GOD Exists: This is deduced from Logic (believe it or not). Ancient Hindu sages, could not understand the concept of creation -they reasoned that there is a higher intelligence that created Universe. This is what they called it "Daiva" or higher being or what ever you call.
Brahma -Creator , Vishnu - Preserver, Shiva - destroyer (G O D as said before)
India is the place where these sages have experimented to see if there is a higher being. The answer according to Indian Sages is YES. Why is that GOD is not visible in a space ship or come down from sky?
For most of us - we need physical (scientific) proof that there is a place somewhere in sky (heaven) that GOD sits and administers the world. May be -May be not. But then why is that planets revolve around Sun (there is some cosmic rule or law or order, who made it??)
But to realize that Man (or Woman) can feel divine and feel the presence of GOD - one needs to tune the mind.
1. Teacher instructs a student to "Put salt in a cup of water leave it overnight" The next day salt is dissolved. Then the student and teacher knows that salt is gone (solid form to melted form that is not visible). For a new student - he /she can say -there is no SALT (no visible proof). This is the exactly the concept of GOD according Hindu/Vedic Upanishads
2. Anybody who plays radio knows that a particular station needs to be tuned (Frequency) to get a particular radio-wave that plays music, news or emergency. It is exactly the same concept - If the mind it tuned, one can see, realize of feel the presence of a higher force (call it GOD).
3. Point # 2 is proven over and over by Hindus Realized Souls in India. Sages , Rishis, Mahatmas -(some of them) have seen the physical form of GOD according to their tuning or wish. Some have experienced miracles that cannot be explained by science.
4. Even in the western world (that is mainly driven by Conquer and kill - Desert culture of Muslims or a similar culture of Christians (who preach "Thou shall not Kill" - but go and kill cows, pigs, and chicken and eat it), people have seen miracles.
5. Bottom line -Praying pr Prayer is good. Tuning the mind to a higher cause (rain for the land) or health of a beloved is good. Nothing to lose, only to gain..
Red Sky at night, it's not going to rain tomorrow.
First, a bit of sarcasm so I fit in... if all these farmers were Muslims we would not see all the name calling. This is clearly anti Christian as much as it is anti God. To my fellow Christians reading these posts, hang in there - its not like we have not been persecuted before and yet here we are, the body of Christ still intact. Nailing us to a cross or stoning us didn't kill the faith, so a few malcontents on a computer won't do much either. This drought too will pass, (both the lack of rain and the current lack of morality in this country). Those that perservere will be rewarded.
Now, just for fun for all the left wing Christian haters - if all of us believers in 'Gawd' are such idiots, and your current beloved president professes to believe in that very same God, is he too an idiot, or if not an idiot, then a liar? Perhaps both...
I think someone can hold stupid beliefs and still be a good and intelligent being in other aspects of their lives. I know many Christians who despite the fact that they believe in an imaginary being(which I find rather silly and foolish) nonetheless are capable of thinking for themselves and applying rational thought to their lives. It just seems that so much ignorance and hate is spewing from so many religious folks these days that it is becoming more and more difficult to be respectful of them.
Also, middleclass, you may want to remember that A)many people have been persecuted in the name of Christianity. and B) Just because someone disagrees with your point of view and points out the absurdity of it does not mean they are "persecuting" you. So odd that how many Christians seem to have a desire to paint themselves as a persecuted minority whereas, in fact, they are a majority in this country and are not being persecuted in the least. Disagreeing with someone is not the same as persecuting them. But keep nailing yourself to your self-invented cross if that is what makes you feel righteous.
you see all of us left-wing christian haters get that there are things people in power say to...um, placate the masses shall we say? This is like daddy telling a too young child, babies come from storks or dozens of other things we say to protect people and their feelings.
if you somehow imagine in your little fantasy world that any of these politicians are in any way religious you must be very very innocent. They are as corrupt and rotten as they come and they will say and do anything to keep their seats of power and privilege.
In most affluent communities churches are like country clubs. It's all about the mix and mingle and the tradition. No one believes there is someone in the sky passing judgment.
It takes a special kind of impressionable mind to imagine something like that for anyone who knows not only the history of the human race but the history or religion.
SOLUTION: CLOUD SEEDING FOR RAIN. Use the SAFEST method with no silver would be good! "In the United States, cloud seeding is used to increase precipitation in areas experiencing drought," (wiki)
Lord Jesus, thank you for the privilege of prayer. As we pray, have your mercy to heal this land, at this drought time season, on our weakest moment, we humble ourselves to come to you with prayer, thank you God, for the awesome power and privilege of prayer. There is nothing that you and I can not do togehter when I bring any request in prayer. Nothing is impossible for Our God amen
Claire, could you and God please give the Missouri farmers rain today?! They need it very badly. Thank you for your(and God's) consideration in this matter. If you and he cannot deliver rain to the state by the end of today then I will have to consider it as evidence that A)God doesn't exist and B)You are talking to an imaginary being.
Greek creation mythology, chapter where great advance for mankind as Gods achieve power recognition, "Briareus" vigorous (drought) fire dragon joined with Gods to defeat Giant (human group think) and Titans (authoritative steering, example Science). These concept born out by many names throughout proto civilization.
Dragon "Hecatoncheires" of whence Briareus, a recognized titan of that day, joined with the Gods' (polytheism never existed).
Similarly, the titan "Cyclops" hurricane joined with the Gods', as did Dragon "Gyges" great limbs (tornado) and "Cottus" furious storm (flood).
Let me make a point out of this... "Winter King" is the primary global concept of protohistory and religion / mythology; the phoenix conjure "from the ashes of the previous one a millennium later" a rebirth succinctly told ages of man solution "riddle of the sphinx" reference (3 legs when old civilization cane also stated darkest time). From this perspective Jesus of Winter King. Conclusive with new dawn, truth about the turn of events is priority. "nobody can be that and have lottery winners or president masquerade", that's kind of like a war with Abel.
I really hate to see anyone suffer from global climate change. But if it is going to happen to someone, I can't think of a better demographic than red-state bible thumpers who are so derisive of science.
The cycle of our earth will continue and has no interest in whether we survive or not. Adapt or become a memory.
GOT MILK ? bet milk and gas goes over $5.00 a gallon ,but then milk gives me gas that i pass out of my a$s
i bet the DAIRY industry "bilks &milks" us over this as they "cream"the consumer,bet they get all the subsities too