Governor Jerry Brown has called for statewide water restrictions reducing water consumption up to 25%. Currently, climatologists say we’re headed for Part II of “The Dirty Thirties” after what experts referred to as the Dust Bowl era.
Brazil, the biggest sugar and coffee grower, had the driest January in six decades, scorching crops. Arctic-like cold is projected for the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. at the end of the month, boosting demand for natural gas.
China’s corn harvest is poised to decline for the first time in four years after flooding in its biggest-producing province and drought in its fifth largest cut yields, easing a global glut as the U.S. reaps a record crop.
Plentiful bounty may mean lower prices in many grains, but tight carry over and potential weather and transport issues globally could mean volatility. And then there’s the government shutdown.
U.S. soybean farmers are planting a record crop that’s poised to double domestic reserves and expand a global surplus after last year’s drought drove prices to an all-time high.
Drought may persist from California to Texas while improving slightly in the Great Plains as temperatures soar above normal across most of the U.S. from April through June, the Climate Prediction Center said.
