The Damage Done
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey is estimating that 10% of the state's corn crop and 20% of the soybean crop is destroyed or was never planted due to soggy conditions. If anything, his estimate might be optimistic. Total projected economic damage: $3 billion.
"Right now, we have about 10 percent of our corn that has either been flooded out or not planted and about 20 percent of our (soy)beans," Bill Northey said Friday on "Iowa Press," a public television show.
"We're seeing some beans go back in the ground, and if we were to lose that, if we weren't able to replant, that would be $2.5 billion, $3 billion — a significant amount of damage," he said.
He added that some of the remaining crops would likely have smaller yields.
Flooding in several Midwestern states has killed two dozen people and injured 148, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and 35,000 to 40,000 people in several states have been displaced.
Around my area there are many fields where the corn is less than a foot tall - and it has yellow leaves, not deep green. The yields will be very low from such fields. (There are still large areas under water, too. In many cases, the fields have been submerged so long that algae is growing in the water.) The beans do not look much better. There has been an enormous amount of damage and we won't know how bad it really is until the harvest comes in.
Don't expect food to get cheaper any time soon, however.
Economy, Environment | Gaius Saturday, 21 June , 2008
By Sylvia, Saturday, 21 June , 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Simply grateful that you and yours are safe, Gaius.
By Gaius, Saturday, 21 June , 2008 @ 7:52 pm
Thank you, Sylvia.