Farmers in dry areas who rely on irrigation start off better in a drought than farmers who count on rain. But when water tables fall, irrigation starts to shut down.

Soybean prices have reached a record high, and corn prices are near records in the midst of a rough drought across the Midwest. It could impact all of us soon in the form of higher prices for everything from cereal to chicken.

Corn may play a bigger role in the economy than you think. And when prices rise, the effect is wide.

The heat wave is cooling off. But in parts of the Midwest, that is little consolation to farmers whose crops have been badly damaged by the heat, as well as a drought that's being called the worst in decades.

Tens of thousands of people have evacuated from the Colorado Springs area because of a raging wildfire that's threatening homes. Those fires make for some dramatic images, but the real drama for many of us will come from the effect dry weather is having on farms.

Colorado got only 2 percent of its normal snowpack, which means low rivers this summer. But what's bad for rafting guides is good for fishermen.

Rain may come (or not). It's all a question of what you do next.

Poised to become the worst two-year drought on record, the Texas drought will be felt far into 2012.

The Lone Star State loses as many as half a billion trees in 2011 — and that's not including the wildfires.

This final note today, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture — and, incidentally, bad news for the children of the Ryssdal household. …