Drought Detrimental to U.S. Crops From Iowa to Ohio, Report Says

Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Hot, dry U.S. weather in the past week had a “detrimental impact” on crops from Iowa to Ohio, worsening “an already dire situation” in south-central states, a National Drought Mitigation Center report showed.

A historic 10-month drought in states including Texas “left little hope” for crops that rely on rain for irrigation, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor published yesterday by the Lincoln, Nebraska-based center. The heat wave has moved into the Midwest, the top corn and soybean-growing region in the U.S., the world’s largest producer and exporter.

“Previously, the drought had been limited” to the southern Great Plains, Rich Nelson, the director of research at Allendale Inc. in McHenry, Illinois, said by telephone. “Now, yield damage has been made, and will continue to be made, in corn.”

Corn-crop conditions deteriorated in Iowa, the biggest U.S. producer, along with Illinois, Nebraska, Indiana and Missouri in the week ending July 31, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in an Aug. 1 report. The Midwest may receive 1 inch to 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) of rain and cooler weather in the next four days, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The Climate Prediction Center said yesterday that a weather pattern known as La Nina may bring less rain for southern states. Tropical Storm Don, which made landfall on July 29 and was expected to provide rain to Texas, “literally disintegrated upon moving inland,” the U.S. Drought Monitor said.

--Editors: Steve Stroth, Patrick McKiernan

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Chappatta in Chicago at bchappatta@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steve Stroth at sstroth@bloomberg.net