Disappointing U.S. Crop Report Reveals Global Food Supply at Risk

by David Kelley

Reprinted with permission from TheNewAmerican.com

Adding to the woes to the global food supply, historic drought conditions in the United States and farming countries in South America, along with uncertainty over crop production in Ukraine, are lending to gloomy harvest predictions for this year.

Senior executives from companies such as Bayer AG, Corteva Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Co., and Bunge Ltd. told the Wall Street Journal this week that worldwide crop supplies remain tight, and some said at least two more years of good harvests in North and South America are needed to ease the pressure.

“When it comes to the global food-supply situation, I think things are going to continue to be tight for the time being,” said Werner Baumann, Bayer’s chief executive.

Severe drought conditions in the Southwest along with this summer’s heat waves over the great plains, America’s breadbasket, are blamed for the reduced harvest forecast. High temps in states such as Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma set in as corn crops were pollinating in many parts of the plains, when the plants require the most water. Some corn crops were also planted late this year after a wet spring, causing some yield loss, according to agriculture analysts.

The recent U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) crop production report showed that corn, soybean, and cotton production is down from 2021. Read Full Article >