The Impact of Drought and Fire 2012 has proven to be a year that has been greatly affected by both the forces of drought and fire. Drought has impacted the United States hard enough that over half of the country has been declared an official “disaster zone� by the government. Farmers have faced an incredibly tough year as they have struggled to bring crops all the way to harvest with limited supplies of water. As such, the government has begun to take emergency measures to help out these farmers, in order to give them a sustainable crop load. These measures have been declared a priority, since an affected food distribution could have economic consequences. As of right now, special funds re being used and land opened up in order to give farmers a needed edge.
Droughts and Destruction These drought conditions have brought a far more immediate disaster to the western United Statesfire. Thousands upon thousands of acres have been lost to flames spreading in the West this summer, being most focused in Colorado, Utah, and California. Such rampant destruction has left many people feeling shaken up and nervous about future weather conditions. This is a good example of cause and effect in the world we live in, and it shows how quickly things can change in the space of a couple of months. These occurrences show the real need to be ready for disasterswhenever they might hit. By being informed about threats and being ready to respond to them in a proactive manner, we all can get the best results overall. Perhaps most importantly of all, we all need to listen when a disaster approaches. By paying attention to official instructions and direction, we all should be able to get through the experience safely and without worry. Things sometimes happen that is outside of our control, but we can choose to stay positive throughout!
Supporting our Farmers and Veterans One story of a military veteran who started his farm recently comes to mind. Jack Donner was a Lt in the Marine Corps and had pulled out his VA Loan to start a large scale corn farm in Iowa where he had been born and raised. His biggest corn yield was 2 years ago but the next year he left the season with a huge deficit and tons of expenses to pay off. As people are becoming more and more affected by the drought
it is individualized stories like this that ring true and make the disasters more personal. If we look at the drought, yes it has increased prices of not only corn and wheat and some of our staples but also the price of meat. As feed prices go up so do the prices of beef and pork. Farmers like Jack deserve our support and not just the governments VA loans. There needs to be more supportive legislation for farmers like Jack who want to keep running their farms but can’t without the help of the government or other corporations. So the next time you eat a meal thank a farmer! Photo Credit: mzacha , Alfi007