US farmers expect poorest corn crop in a decade
Source: AP-Excite
By JIM SUHR
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A deepening drought in the nation's farm states has cut further into this fall's harvest, with farmers now expected to pull from their fields the lowest corn yield in more than a decade.
But American farmers are still expected to produce their eighth-largest harvest ever, and while there's sure to be a rise in prices at the grocery stores, there's little risk of a failed harvest that would lead to shortages on the shelves.
The U.S. Agriculture Department predicted the nation's biggest harvest ever in the spring, when farmers planted 96.4 million acres of corn - the most since 1937. But it cut its estimate a month ago and again Friday, saying it now expects the nation to produce 10.8 billion bushels, the least since 2006.
If that estimate holds, the federal government says it will be enough to meet the world's needs and ensure there are no shortages. But experts say food prices will almost certainly climb as corn is a widely used ingredient found in everything from cosmetics to cereal, colas and candy bars.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120811/DA0IQG3O0.html
This photo from July 31, 2012 shows dried corn plants in Yutan, Neb. U.S. corn growers could have their worst crop in a generation as the harshest drought in decades takes its toll, the government reported Friday, Aug. 1, 2012, as it forecast the lowest average yield in 17 years. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
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Wanna bet? 
One check mark off the bucket list. I am closer to dying happy now. 
