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Experts See Signs of El Niño, but a Weak One
Posted by New York Times: John H. Cushman Jr. on October 2nd, 2012
New York Times: A season of warmer ocean waters that has been expected to produce a Niño episode and perhaps bring relief from the continuing drought may turn out to be a bit weaker than advertised, according to climate experts. The periodic upwelling of warmer waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific can be one of the most telling calls that a climatologist can make. A powerful Niño can drive global patterns of drought, storm, snow and flood, with big consequences for farmers and fishermen, relief organizations...
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Catfish Farmers Fight Fish Glut and High Feed Prices
Posted by New York Times: John H. Cushman Jr. on August 31st, 2012
New York Times: In the federal government’s efforts to help farmers and ranchers survive this year’s devastating drought, perhaps the most surprising step has been a dose of support for struggling producers of catfish. It’s not that their ponds, shimmering across some of the poorest counties from Alabama to Arkansas, were drying up, although the catfish industry has been shriveling for 10 years. Rather, catfish assistance came as part of a $170 million federal purchase of pork, chicken, lamb and fish announced...
Ethanol Quota Debated by Corn Farmers and Meat Industry
Posted by New York Times: John H. Cushman Jr. on August 17th, 2012
New York Times: Three big intertwined but rival agribusinesses — corn farmers, meat and poultry producers, and biofuel refineries — are in a political fight to protect their interests as a drought ravages corn producers and industrial consumers alike. At issue is whether to suspend a five-year-old federal mandate requiring more ethanol in gasoline each year, a policy that has diverted almost half of the domestic corn supply from animal feedlots to ethanol refineries, driven up corn prices and plantings and created...