The Midwest continues to endure its worst drought in over a decade amid a spate of extreme weather nationwide. Government statistics show about 63 percent of U.S. land is suffering moderate to extreme drought. Corn producers in the Midwest are struggling to keep their crops from dying in a season that initially had been expected to yield a record harvest. The Department of Agriculture has deemed more than 1,000 counties in 26 states to be natural disaster areas, the highest such declaration ever. Farm Service Agency head Philip Ayers warned of widespread devastation to crops in the Midwest.

Philip Ayers: “We’re approaching 1998 standards for a drought. This is the main area of the United States where all the crops are grown: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska. You know, we grow most of the corn and soy beans in the United States, and this is right where the drought is centered this time. We’re all — in Missouri, at least, we’re all D2 to D3, and we’re approaching D3 in the D2 areas. So it’s very serious.”