Severe crop damage in Iowa from derecho storm

Marjory Wildcraft
Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin
edited October 2020 in Other News

Uh oh... a strange storm ripped across Iowa (happened last month) and has destroyed a big chunk of the food supply growing there. It happened last month, and I'm so surprised it didn't make bigger headlines.

Iowa mostly grows commodity crops - corn, soy, hogs... And most of those grains are for animal feed - or ethanol? But still, 1/3 of the crops destroyed in the largest crop producing state. Wow, this seemed like important news to me.

Here is one article:

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday early estimates indicate 10 million acres have been damaged in the nation’s top corn-producing state and many grain bins were destroyed. That's nearly a third of the roughly 31 million acres of land farmed in the state sustained damage from the derecho.


Comments

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Marjory Wildcraft I agree. That sounds like news. 🤔 Something else seemed "bigger" or more urgent probably was priority during that time.

  • Melissa Swartz
    Melissa Swartz Posts: 270 ✭✭✭

    I did see some reports of the storm, but I'm in a nearby state so that could explain it. You would think that there would be articles talking about the impact this storm, plus the fires, will have on our food supply. Couple that with the food shortage in China (https://thehill.com/opinion/international/516607-another-famine-coming-china-struggles-to-meet-basic-food-demands) and things could get worrisome.

  • Silkiemamuska
    Silkiemamuska Posts: 99 ✭✭✭

    Whenever there is an event that destablizes the "norm" (be it societal, monetary, goods, services) it affirms the need to be prepared with alternatives, back ups, education, and to take care of those in need around us without panic and hysteria.

    Yet another reason why the Grow Network is a valuable resource!😀

  • burekcrew86
    burekcrew86 Posts: 248 ✭✭✭

    Never heard anything about it here in our area of Pennsylvania. Wow, that’s sad news.

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    I found out through my daughter, who has a friend living there. She had some major tree damage and the photos she sent my daughter showed many damaged and destroyed buildings. She lives in the town of Grinnell. I'm sure the powers that be did not want it know how much of the crops were damaged, or do people really not know the far reaching impacts this will have?

  • NarjissMomOf3
    NarjissMomOf3 Posts: 113 ✭✭✭
    edited October 2020

    It is really scary. I hear more and more people talking about a global food shortage. Check out ice age farmer on youtube.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think many people choose to keep their heads buried in the sand when it comes to the current state of things. They keep assuming that the stores will always be able to restock. The store I work at when covid started and our shelves were getting bare, people acted like we had a lot of backstock but refused to put it out. We were even accused of price gouging by folks when the prices had not changed from what they had been before the shortages.

    There are still items we are having problems getting for our store and people even in our little village where lots of people grow their own or a portion of their own food, can't understand that we can not get the items. It doesn't help us at all to have to send them to the bigger stores in the nearest city (an hour or more away.)

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Silkiemamuska Welcome here!

  • Silkiemamuska
    Silkiemamuska Posts: 99 ✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning Thank you for the warm welcome!