Posts
24
August, 2012
While
other corn growers already have knocked down their drought-ravaged
crops to feed them to livestock, Nebraska farmer Doug Nelson still
waits for his maize to mature, well aware it won't be a banner year.
On
the day a new report suggested the nation's worst dry spell in at
least a generation is deepening in America's breadbasket, Nelson said
Thursday he expects to harvest anywhere from nothing to 43 bushels
per acre on his unirrigated acreage, a far cry from the 120 to 140
bushels he'd typically get. On the irrigated land, he could see 150
to 200 bushels an acre; in previous years, Nelson would see a minimum
of 180 bushels.
Wildfires
spreading in California
UPI,
23
August, 2012
Fires
continued to burn across the U.S. West Thursday, including about a
dozen started by weekend lightning in California.
In
northern California, the Ponderosa fire spread across 2,000 more
acres overnight, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The fire,
which was started by lightning Saturday, has charred almost 30,000
acres and destroyed at least 84 buildings, said Daniel Berlant, a Cal
Fire spokesman.
Arctic
sea ice levels to reach record low within days
24
August, 2012
Arctic
sea ice is set to reach its lowest ever recorded extent as early as
this weekend, in "dramatic changes" signalling that
man-made global warming is having a major impact on the polar region.
With
the melt happening at an unprecedented rate of more than 100,000 sq
km a day, and at least a week of further melt expected before ice
begins to reform ahead of the northern winter, satellites are
expected to confirm the record – currently set in 2007 – within
days.
"Unless
something really unusual happens we will see the record broken in the
next few days. It might happen this weekend, almost certainly next
week," Julienne Stroeve, a scientist at the US National Snow and
Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, told the Guardian.
"In
the last few days it has been losing 100,000 sq km a day, a record in
itself for August. A storm has spread the ice pack out, opening up
water, bringing up warmer water. Things are definitely changing
quickly."
‘Alarming’
climate change threatens the future of many bat species
24
August, 2012
Climate
change threatens the future of a significant number of bat species.
Bats
have already suffered due to changing temperatures, according to a
study published in Mammal Review.
That
change is "alarming" say the report's authors, but worse is
expected as temperatures rise further.
The
foraging and feeding, roosting, range sizes and reproduction of bats
will all be affected, while extreme weather and disease will also
impact many bat species, they say.
Brazil's
biggest city suffering with no rain
23
August, 2012
Brazil's
biggest city is experiencing one of its driest spells in years after
more than a month with almost no rain.
Neide
Oliveira of the National Meteorological Institute says in the month
through Thursday just one-hundredth of an inch (0.3 millimeters) of
rain has fallen on Sao Paulo. The average for this time of year is
1.5 inches (38 millimeters).
Oliveira
says rain isn't expected for at least another week because high
pressure hot and dry air is blocking cold fronts that normally bring
rain from the ocean.
The
city's humidity index plunged to 10 percent this week, the lowest in
three years.
Officials
are urging people to drink extra water and take special care while
exercising. Hospitals say they've seen a spike in patients
complaining of respiratory ailments
High
price of corn forcing U.S. farmers to feed candy to livestock
24
August, 2012
At
Mayfield's United Livestock Commodities, owner Joseph Watson is
tweaking the recipe for success.
"Just
to be able to survive, we have to look at other sources for
nutrition," he said.
His
1,400 cattle are no longer feeding off corn. The prices, Watson said,
are too high to keep in stock. So earlier this year, he began to buy
second hand candy.
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