Farmers Anticipate A Bumper Pumpkin Crop

The devastating drought that hurt many crops was gentler on pumpkins. Pumpkins are actually one of the few crops that do pretty well in drought conditions. The rind of a pumpkin is incredibly susceptible to diseases that come from too much water. The lack of precipitation hasn’t been too bad for the pumpkin crop. And by using irrigation, most farmers are able to control when and how much water gets put on the crop and so that’s led to overall good quality.

Illinois is the largest producer of processing pumpkins. The top producing ornamental states are California, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Cows Fed Candy Instead Of Corn On Kentucky Ranch Affected By Drought

With a drought continuing to affect agricultural and farming operations across the Midwest, exorbitant corn prices are forcing ranchers to seek alternative ways to feed their cattle.

Western Kentucky ranch owner Joseph Watson has an interesting solution: candy. The rancher told an NBC affiliate that he turned to sweets “just to be able to survive.” Watson feeds his 1,400 cattle a diet of second-hand candy unfit to sell in stores that’s been mixed with an ethanol by-product and a mineral nutrient. He says the animals haven’t shown any health problems, and are on track with weight gain.

NY Times: Corn for Food, Not Fuel

• The 2012 drought has now parched about 60 percent of the contiguous 48 states. As a result, global food prices are rising steeply. 
• More than one-third of our corn crop is used to feed livestock. Another 13 percent is exported, much of it to feed livestock as well. Another 40 percent is used to produce ethanol. The remainder goes toward food and beverage production.
• By suspending renewable-fuel standards that were unwise from the start, the Environmental Protection Agency could divert vast amounts of corn from inefficient ethanol production back into the food chain, where market forces and common sense dictate it should go.