Drought May Hit Hard

Drought is a truly ugly reality. And in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s here . . . and it may get worse. That’s a worry . . . for everyone.

Drought is a catastrophe in slow motion. Hurricanes, tsunamis or earthquakes hit suddenly, wreak havoc briefly and just as abruptly are gone. But a drought grows insidiously slowly and gradually, endures for lengthy periods of time and goes away very slowly. That qualifies a drought as perhaps the most devastating natural disaster we can face.

That’s what we may be looking at right now.

According to experts, about 55 percent of the contiguous United States is in a moderate to extreme drought, with more damaged field crops every passing day of record high temperatures. Over 80% of the U.S. is abnormally dry.

Almost one-third of the nation's corn crop is affected, so far. Corn prices have surged 45% in July alone. Present expectations are for the smallest U.S. corn crop in five years due to the largest drought in the last 50 years.

One respected meteorologist said that the costs associated with this drought will run into the billions of dollars and could be one of the top 10 most expensive weather related disasters in U.S. history.

Even if the drought gets no worse, officials forecast that food prices will certainly increase. But this drought currently shows no signs of waning. Officials predict that food prices could soar if the drought deepens and spreads.

Chicago Board of Trade corn prices have climbed more than 40 percent in only six weeks as crop prospects have plunged. Corn and soybean crops, those most used in food production, are the most effected.

Even with all this, most Americans seem unaware of the proportions and depth of this drought. This is likely due to the preoccupation of the news media with the current debate in the presidential contest. Thus, political discussion seems to be dominating all the news coverage, leaving the drought news off the table.

One thing seems certain: The price of food isn’t going to go down anytime soon. In fact, the experts seem to agree that it will certainly go up . . . maybe way up.

All this gloomy news should tell you one thing: Now may be the time to consider getting that emergency food storage you’ve only thought about in the past. Since we all need to eat, stored food is a precious commodity when normal food sources dry up in a crisis.

The window of opportunity to secure an emergency food supply may be closing before our very eyes. While food availability will certainly continue, higher costs may put it beyond the average family budget. That idea requires that each of us consider seizing the opportunity to buy now at lower, more affordable prices.

Like all other commodities, the price of foodstuffs prepared for long term storage will soon go up . . . perhaps way up . . . depending upon the severity and longevity of the drought. Buying at today’s prices would be a very wise precaution. Procrastination could be very costly in this circumstance.

If you are one of the prudent ones who have stored emergency food already, now might be the time to either replenish what you’ve used or expand on what you already have. Grab the opportunity to ensure your food supply is ample, not just adequate, before the prices skyrocket.

Reliance of stored food will come to all of us—those who live in drought areas a little sooner than the rest of us. It thus behooves us to make sure we have plenty and to spare. If the drought relents, we’ll be none the worse for it. Food storage can always be used to supplement daily meal preparation. If the drought deepens, however, we’ll be thankful every day that we have that stored food to see us through.

And if you happen to think that it can’t get that bad, try reading some of the stories that came out of the dust bowl days early in the last century. Those accounts are an archived testament to how devastating a drought can be on families and individuals. Don’t let it happen to you.

By Anthony E. Larson
Augason Farms Copywriter

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