U.S. Weather Could Affect World Food Supplies, Prices

Killer tornadoes, pounding hail and straight line winds raced across the Southern United States this week. The storms left unspeakable damage and heartbreak in their wake. Meanwhile, the Midwest has had rain for weeks and temperatures are unseasonably cool. Flooding along the Mississippi has also occurred.

These areas are where corn, wheat and soybean crops are grown. It is nearly May, and if the weather doesn't get back to normal soon, consumers may feel the effects at their grocery stores.

Local news programs are reporting that Illinois and Iowa are behind the usual 30 to 40 percent of acres planted for this time of the year. Illinois is at 11 percent while Iowa lags at 3 percent. The rains are not downpours and gully washers like last year. This year they are steady showers without drying days. The temperatures have been running almost 10 degrees cooler, which adds to planting woes.

Late corn plantings usually mean lower yields. The prices on corn, wheat and beans are already at record levels and still climbing. Each day that farmers are unable to plant, the prices go higher. Corn and wheat are over $7 a bushel and beans are over $13. Eventually, this will be passed to consumers by way of grocery prices. Products that contain corn, wheat or soybeans will continue to cost more as oil, weather and world demands go higher.

Farms today are large and usually consist of thousands of acres. Farmers start earlier in the year in order to get all of the acres planted. The push to grow and preserve your own food has gained in popularity in the last few years. But even backyard gardeners are looking at plots of soggy land and yearning to get started.

American farmers feed the world and the world will soon feel the impact of late planting in turn. The United States will be bidding with the rest of the world for crops not yet in the ground. The devalued dollar is dramatically adding to the price of American farm commodities.

Due to high grain prices, meat and dairy products will also cost more at the store. Poultry farms are following the trend with higher egg and chicken prices.

Local forecasters say temperatures should start to warm up in the next two weeks. But rain is still forecast for every two to four days. The perfect storm may be brewing for higher crop and grocery prices.