Drought

The corn and soybean crops in Missouri and Illinois are in better condition because of the recent rain, meaning it didn’t come too late in the growing season to make a difference.

Growing interest rates, high crop prices and rising transportation costs are making it more expensive to store grain — a critical step for many farmers. Economists and grain merchandisers say the market conditions leave them and farmers in an awkward place.

Changing rainfall amounts, soil conditions and river levels all complicate the situation, which kicked off with a stretch of dryness this spring.

the U.S Drought Monitor show that the percentage of abnormally dry conditions increased from 7.5% to slightly above 93%

Also in response to the drought, Wentzville issued a voluntary water conservation declaration that takes effect Monday.

The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets — a type of small grain mostly grown in parts of Asia and Africa. The highly resilient and cost-friendly grains could make them the next crop for U.S. farmers in the midst of climate change.

Think of this year’s drought as a sort of dress rehearsal to consider the drier, hotter future that scientists predict climate change has in store. Long-lasting droughts could alter the way we live.

From deadly wildfires to choking dust storms to decimated crop harvests, this year’s drought has left its mark across the country. For the hardest hit areas, such as the Great Plains, recovering from the far-reaching impacts of this historically dry year won’t be easy.

The drought affecting the Midwest has revealed an extra 1,100 feet to a cave in the Missouri Ozarks at Smallin Cave, a registered National Historic Place.

Barges are moving along the Mississippi River much more slowly and with lighter loads as they try to get corn and soybean harvest to ports.