Cattle rancher Ken Lenox says farmers in Missouri are struggling with the Midwest drought. Some have resorted to tapping wells they haven't used in decades to provide water for their herds.

Out on the plains, drought is parching everything from corn to cattle. And when the prairie grass burns up, so does a business model that depends on it: ranching.

Cattle ranchers in the Midwest face some tough decisions as their pastures bake with little to no rain.

The case of Mad Cow in California put a few South Korean retailers off of buying U.S. beef temporarily. But Canadian and Japanese importers haven't flinched.

Americans soon could be crying 'Where's the beef?' — until the cows come home. Cattle herd may be the next casualty of the struggling U.S. econ…