U.S.
drought diminishes mighty Mississippi, puts heat on Congress
26
July, 2012
CHICAGO/WASHINGTON
(Reuters) – The severe drought in the U.S. Midwest wreaked more
havoc across the country on Thursday, forcing barges on the
Mississippi River to lighten loads for fear of getting stuck and
raising concerns about higher prices for food and gasoline.
Damage
to crops in the most extensive drought in five decades and the
pressure of the November elections sparked some action in the U.S.
Congress to bring relief to farmers and make progress on a generous
farm bill.
"When
times are tough for farmers, they tend to be more active
politically," Iowa Senator Charles Grassley said, urging fellow
Republicans to act on the farm bill and avoid punishment at the
polls.
U.S.
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday that
Republican leaders were working with the Agriculture Committee "on
an appropriate path forward."
"I
do believe the House will address the livestock disaster program that
unfortunately in the last farm bill was only authorized for four
years," Boehner said. […]
One
year after its waters swelled to historic proportions, the lower
Mississippi River now sits so low that barge operators hauling some
$180 billion in goods must lighten their loads for fear of getting
stuck.
If
water levels drop any lower, industry insiders say, prices could rise
on the raw commodities commonly shipped by boat -- coal, grain,
petroleum and steel, to name a few.
"The
main thing that they're doing now is voluntarily reducing the size of
their tows … so they're having to take more trips to carry their
normal volume of commodities," said Ann McCulloch, spokeswoman
for American Waterways Operators, a national trade association
representing tugboats, tow boats and barges.
"This
will drive up transportation costs if it continues over a long period
of time," she said. […]
In
Washington, temperatures boiled on both sides of the aisle. A new
five-year, $491 billion farm bill is stalled in the House on concerns
there are not enough votes in the Republican-controlled chamber to
pass a bill.
"We're
seeing all across the country dried-up, parched land," said
Senate Agriculture Committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow. "This
is a very serious issue for our farmers and ranchers, so we need a
farm bill."
The
farm bill has been attacked by Democrats for cutting too much from
food stamps for the poor and by Republicans for doing too little to
reform farm subsidies.
There
is little more than a week before Congress moves to a recess that
lasts until September 10. Democrats have lambasted Republicans for
lack of action ahead of the November elections.
"If
they actually try to do disaster next week, it's just to inoculate
members for the month of August," said Ferd Hoefner, a
small-farm activist. "We want the real bill and we want it this
year."
Scattered
rains in the Midwest this week have come too late for many crops,
government drought specialists said, and the worst drought conditions
since 1956 worsened over the last week.
Almost
30 percent of the nine-state Midwest was suffering extreme drought as
of July 24, nearly triple that of a week ago. […]
Drought
and scorching temperatures in Eastern Europe from Poland to Romania
also have burned up crops, causing alarm about stockpiles and soaring
prices. Russian wheat harvests will also be cut by drought and Indian
harvests will be cut by the poorest monsoon rains in four decades,
officials said on Thursday.
The
U.S. Agriculture Department said U.S. food prices are likely to rise
as much as 3.5 percent this year and as much as 4 percent in 2013,
with higher feed costs driving up meat and dairy products. By
comparison, the overall U.S. inflation rate is estimated at 2 percent
this year and 1.9 percent in 2013.
Wildfires
in drought-hit areas were also a growing problem. Firefighters in
three Nebraska counties battled expanding wildfires, and Ola,
Arkansas, a town of 1,300 people, was evacuated because of an
approaching fire.
U.S.
drought taking heavy toll on fishing industry – ‘Unheard of’
river temperatures causing mass fish kills
By
Alyce Hinton; editing by Jim Marshall
28
July, 2012
(Reuters)
– The drought and extreme heat wreaking havoc across the U.S. farm
belt is killing fish by the thousands in lakes and rivers and could
pose a problem to migrating ducks and other waterfowl if it stretches
into the fall, officials said.
Authorities
are tallying up the losses which could run into the millions of
dollar as the worst drought in 56 years expands, devastating the corn
and soybean crops and forcing ranchers to cull their herds due to
scorched pasture.
"Nationwide
we are talking tens of millions to hundreds of millions (of dollars
in losses). It just depends upon how long it lasts and how widespread
it becomes," said fisheries biologist Dan Stephenson of the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
"If
this drought persists into fall, when the duck and other waterfowl
pass through on their way south, there could be a larger problem,"
Stephenson told Reuters.
In
Iowa, losses were estimated at $10.1 million after 37,000 fish were
found dead along a 42-mile stretch of the Des Moines River from the
dam in Eldon to the Farmington Bridge in the northeast of the state.
"Temperatures
were extremely high … I mean 97 degrees (Fahrenheit; 36 Celsius) is
essentially unheard of on this stretch of the river and it's
certainly higher than anything I've ever seen," says fisheries
biologist Mark Flammang of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Flammang
said the majority of fish killed in Iowa were shovelnose sturgeon,
with a value of $116.20 per lb based on guidelines from the American
Fisheries Society. […]
Fish
are particularly susceptible to even subtle changes in their
environments. Oxygen levels usually fluctuate during the day and
night depending on temperature and other factors.
But
the hot weather heated some waterways to between 85 and 90 degrees,
forcing oxygen levels in the water down to a degree that caused fish
to suffocate. […]
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