Mark Long says his corn crop near Rossville 'is hurt. We just don't know how much yet.' / By John Terhune/Journal & Courier
Impact on food prices
For now, consumers have little to worry about because the drought’s impact hasn’t hit home just yet.
But later this year and next, average food prices will rise, just as they have after previous droughts.
Chris Hurt, a Purdue University economist, said consumers are likely to see food prices go up 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent on average by 2013. Beef prices could go up as much as 10 percent as feed costs rise and producers thin their herds.
What hope Chuck Shelby held out for rain and lower temperatures to relieve his drought-stricken corn was fading last week under blistering skies and a string of days with temperatures in the upper 90s and triple digits.
“There’s no real relief in sight,” said Shelby, who farms about 8,500 acres south of Lafayette. “We need significant rainfall. We need it to cool down. And that’s not in the forecast.”
The tassels that sprang up atop corn plants in recent days marked the pollination stage — a critical phase when kernels form on the cobs. Dry, extremely hot weather puts stress on plants and interferes with pollination. If kernels don’t form, no amount of rain will make a difference.
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