The drought of 2012 has now moved to the front page and the first news block for radio and television. It is getting coverage from media who chase disasters and conflict, hence, the reporting is going to be shallow and reactionary.
This morning I looked at the reflective golden glass of the Wallace Building, which houses the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship near the State Capitol, and noticed the lawn and the wall were the same color. There is usually a contrast of AGR green and gold but this summer there is not. Vegetation across the Midwest has lost its vitality. Short, dry grass is going to make this a very long winter for the cattle industry.
We are covering the U.S. House of Representatives as its members hear the news reports and examine the reality that they have to go home to drought stricken producers and ask to be re-elected. It is likely, next week, that representatives will pass an extension of the 2008 Farm Bill and fund a livestock disaster program with a portion of the direct payments that were to disappear in the new legislation.
I called Don Young, from Des Moines, yesterday just to see how his pumpkins are growing in the very hot conditions this summer. The most competitive grower in Iowa said he has had a terrible time with the heat.
?They bake on top and rot on the bottom,? but he will have an entry at the Iowa State Fair along with Carlson and Peterson from Davenport. The size, and number, of entries on the first Friday of the fair may be an example of the severity of the drought this year.
