Nation Gripped by Drought
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A field of dead corn sits near the Lincolnl and Agri-Energy ethanol plant in Palestine, Ill. The drought covering two-thirds of the continental U.S. had been considered relatively shallow, the product of months without rain, rather than years.
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Dry shriveled roots of corn plants in a field near Yutan, Neb., as drought continues to damage the corn crop. The drought covering two-thirds of the continental U.S. had been considered relatively shallow, the product of months without rain, rather than years.
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A much needed storm system rolls over starved corn fields in Elburn, Ill. The U.S. drought now covers two-thirds of the nation and for many farmers the rain is too late.
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A farm hand works the harvested potato crop at King's Hill Farm at Mineral Point, Wis. The potato yield is about one-fifth of what was expected, but is the farm's only salvageable crop after the other crops perished in the drought gripping large sections of the Midwest.
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Drought-damaged corn near Lawrence, Mich.
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A corn plant grows in a field parched by drought near Olmsted, Ill.
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Jud Vaught and his brother Bill Kirklin prepare an irrigation system in their cornfield near Whiteland, Ind. Kirklin and Vaught, who are 6th generation Indiana farmers, raise about 1,500 acres of corn and soybeans.
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A pepper plant grows on the farm of Jerry Jimenez near Cobden, Ill.
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Dairy cows after being milked at Kelsay and Son dairy farm near Whiteland, Ind. Higher than normal temperatures have caused milk production to drop on Midwest dairy farms.
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Butcher Freddie Quina cuts meat at Super Cao Nguyen in Oklahoma City. The record drought will push food prices up by 3 percent to 4 percent next year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has predicted.
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Grain bins are silhouetted against approaching storm clouds that contain very little water in Pleasant Plains, Ill.
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Boats sit on the dry, cracked bottom of a cove at Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, Ind. The reservoir is down nearly 6 feet from normal levels and being lowered 1 foot every five days to provide water for Indianapolis. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the drought currently affecting the Midwest is the worst since 1956. Drought conditions are currently affecting 55 percent of the land mass in the lower 48 states.
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Men walk through a field of dead and stalled corn in Geff, Ill. The nation's widest drought in decades is spreading, with more than half of the continental United States now in some stage of drought and most of the rest enduring abnormally dry conditions. The corn crop is in the greatest danger; corn cannot pollinate without moisture. The U.S. ships more than half of the world's corn exports.
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Corn struggles to grow in Illinois from lack of rain and a heat wave covering most of the country. The southern part of Illinois has endured extreme heat and very little rain for more than two months.
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Four rows of corn left for insurance adjusters to examine are all that remain of a 40-acre cornfield in Geff, Ill. High temperatures with little rain in the past two months is forcing many farmers to call 2012 a total loss.
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Cattle wait in pens under water misters before an auction sale in Conway, Ark. Many ranchers are selling their livestock during drought conditions rather than pay high prices for hay.
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Marion Kujawa feeds corn to his cattle near Ashley, Ill. Many farmers in the Midwest have been selling off their cattle because of the lack of available or the high price of hay and corn in the drought-stricken region. According to the Illinois Farm Bureau, the state is experiencing the sixth driest year on record.
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A cornfield that has missed pollination due to high temperatures and little rain stands in Geff, Ill. More than 1,000 counties across the U.S. have been declared natural disaster areas due to the drought conditions.
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Marion Kujawa looks over a pond he uses to water the cattle on his farm on in Ashley, Ill. Kujawa has been digging the pond deeper after it began to dry up during the current drought.
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The gate is closed on a boat ramp leading to a cove at Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, Ind. The reservoir is down nearly 6 feet from normal levels.
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The sun rises in Pleasant Plains, Ill. Corn stalks are struggling in the heat and continuing drought that has overcome most of the country.
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