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.
Even in severe drought, farmers who grow commodity crops such as corn and soybeans are significantly protected by insurance they buy from private insurers. The ultimate insurer in a disastrous year? Taxpayers.
Food banks across the plains are being hit with a triple whammy — fewer donations from farmers, a decline in donations from the federal government and an uptick in demand.
Because of the drought, there is only one shipping lane on the Mississippi. So the barges on the river have to coordinate in a way they’ve never had to.
Many farmers in Tennessee tend their fields without tills to cut down on erosion, but they've found that their method also helps conserve water during droughts.
As one of the world's biggest agricultural exporter, the drought in the U.S. could impact food prices worldwide. In recent years, high food prices have initiated destabilization of the Middle East as well as Haiti.
