Corn continues to hover near record of $8/bushel.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nearly 220 counties
in a dozen drought-stricken states were added Wednesday to the U.S.
government's list of natural disaster areas as the nation's agriculture
chief unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and
ranchers grappling with extreme dryness and heat.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's addition of the 218 counties means that more than half of
all U.S. counties — 1,584 in 32 states — have been designated primary
disaster areas this growing season, the vast majority of them mired in a
drought that's considered the worst in decades.
