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Arkansas rice farmers race against Isaac to harvest crop
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 30th, 2012
Reuters: Farmers in the top rice-producing state of Arkansas were harvesting their crop at breakneck speed, industry sources said Thursday, in a bid to limit damage from Hurricane Isaac, which had weakened and made landfall as a tropical storm.
The potential threat to the rice crop from Isaac comes on the heels of the worst drought in half a century, which devastated corn and soybean crops in the Midwest farm belt, but had been beneficial to rice plantings.
"I'm real nervous right now with the storm...
Posted in 
Isaac rains stall harvest, buoy wheat prospects
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 29th, 2012
Reuters: Heavy rain from Hurricane Isaac will stall the harvest of U.S. crops but also add valuable soil moisture ahead of autumn seeding of winter wheat and boost river water levels, aiding waterway transport, an agricultural meteorologist said on Wednesday.
Isaac made landfall early Wednesday and topped a levee near New Orleans, triggering life-threatening flooding seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the same area, authorities said.
Global Weather Monitoring meteorologist John...
Rain from Isaac to help wheat, but not corn, soy
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 27th, 2012
Reuters: The drought-parched Midwest farm belt could get up to 5 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Isaac but it would be a mixed blessing to farmers, as the moisture will be too late for corn and soybeans but just in time for wheat planting next month.
Farmers are harvesting their corn, which has been devastated by the worst drought in half a century, as a result rain would be of no help at this time of the season.
Rain could be of marginal help to soybeans that were planted late in the season, but...
U.S. farmers hope Isaac will bring drought relief
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 24th, 2012
Reuters: Tropical Storm Isaac, poised to hit Cuba on Saturday, will likely bring minimal relief from the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century, with rains expected in a limited area in the U.S. Southeast or possibly further west into Alabama and Mississippi, an agricultural meteorologist said on Friday.
"Computer maps have been all over the place but it looks like the storm will make landfall in Florida Sunday. That would bring the most rain, probably an inch to four inches or more in the southeast,"...
Showers seen giving minimal lift to stunted U.S. crops
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 22nd, 2012
Reuters: Light showers late this week in the northern Midwest and heavier rainfall in most of the region early next week will provide little benefit to drought-stricken U.S. corn and soybeans since both crops are nearing the end of their growing season, an agricultural meteorologist said on Wednesday.
"It will help some of the later crops in the north such as in Wisconsin but not much elsewhere," said Andy Karst, a meteorologist for World Weather Inc.
Karst also said there would not be enough rain to...
No drought-busting rains seen for crop belt
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 21st, 2012
Reuters: Benign weather is expected for the next week or two in the Midwest crop region, with no serious delays of early harvest but also no significant relief to corn and soybeans from the worst drought in half a century, an agricultural meteorologist said on Tuesday.
"The bottom line is there are no earth-shattering weather events in sight, it will be quiet most of the week," said John Dee, meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring.
High temperatures in the upper 80s (degrees Fahrenheit) to low...
Rains come too late to revive drought-stricken U.S. crops
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 17th, 2012
Reuters: Dry weather will return to the drought-stricken U.S. Midwest crop region, with corn and soybeans ending their growing season on a negative note after this week's rains proved to be too little too late, an agricultural meteorologist said Friday.
"There were some decent rains in central Illinois and west central Indiana yesterday, but it's too late for corn and too late for most of the bean crop," said Don Keeney, meteorologist for MDA EarthSat Weather.
The worst drought in more than 50 years...
Light rains give some relief to drought-stricken U.S. corn, soy
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 16th, 2012
Reuters: After weeks of relentless heat stress from the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century, deteriorating corn and soybean crops were getting some relief by light rains this week, an agricultural meteorologist said Thursday.
But the shift in weather came too late to help much of the corn crop which had been planted early and bore the brunt of high heat and drought this summer. Some late-planted soybeans may benefit from the turn to cooler and damper weather.
"A cool front is moving through...
Little relief seen from U.S. drought despite cooler trend
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 15th, 2012
Reuters: Midday weather maps indicated a better chance for rains during the last two weeks of August in the drought-stricken U.S. Midwest, but they will come too late to provide much help to corn or soybean prospects, an agricultural meteorologist forecast Wednesday.
Meteorologists and crop experts have said that the domestic corn crop was harmed beyond repair from the worst drought in more than 50 years over the summer, and much of the soybean crop was damaged as well.
"There is a chance for quite...
Scant rain to give scorched Southwest crops little relief
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on July 27th, 2012
Reuters: Crops in the northern and eastern U.S. Midwest will benefit from showers and cooler temperatures over the next week but heat and drought will continue to punish crops in the southwest, an agricultural meteorologist said on Friday.
"Crops will continue to deteriorate. The corn crop is already gone and in the north and east, beans will improve some but not in the southwest," said Don Keeney, meteorologist for MDA EarthSat Weather.
"There will be additional rain in the eastern Midwest today and...