RPT-Cotton makes a comeback in U.S. Plains as farmers sour on wheat

Farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma are planting more land with cotton than they have for decades as they ditch wheat, attracted by relatively high cotton prices and the crop's ability to withstand drought. A 20-percent increase from last year marks a sharp turnaround for the crop that once dominated the Mississippi Delta into Texas.

Scientists Are Getting Way Better at Forecasting. It Could Change How We Deal With Droughts.

This story was originally published by High Country News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. When a rainstorm slammed California's Russian River watershed in December 2012, water rushed into Lake Mendocino, a reservoir north of San Francisco.

People Act Where US Fails On Climate

MARCH 10: Protesters march during a demonstration against the Dakota Access Pipeline on March 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. Thousands of protesters and members of Native nations marched in Washington DC to oppose the construction of the proposed 1,172 Dakota Access Pipeline that runs within a half-mile of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota.

Rally in Seaside touts water measure for November 2018 ballot

An effort to accomplish that kicked off Saturday afternoon when the group Public Water Now held a rally at Laguna Grande Park. There were petitions available for signing, a chance to donate to the cause and to be videotaped while telling about experiences dealing with California American Water's Monterey District Water System.

The climate truth we can no longer ignore

Residents clear debris in the city of Tacloban, devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, in the Philippines in November 2013. It was reportedly the deadliest storm in recorded history.a Just two or three decades ago, scientists were talking about the consequences of climate change manifesting in 50-100 years.

Worsening drought conditions in parts of US stressing crops

Drought conditions worsened in several states over the past week from extreme heat and weeks with little rain, raising the prospect that grocery staples such as bread and beans could cost more as the region that produces those commodities is hardest hit. Drought conditions have begun to stress corn, soybeans, wheat and livestock in some areas, according to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Higher Costs Make 2018 a Great Time to Cut Carbs

It looks like next year might be a good time to cut the carbohydrates as a drought-fueled jump in wheat costs will make bakery goods the food items with the biggest price gains for U.S. consumers. Higher prices paid to farmers, combined with lower imports, may increase grocery and restaurant costs for baked goods and cereals as much as 4 percent next year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday in its first forecast of food-price inflation for 2018.

USDA opens more land for emergency haying, grazing

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has authorized more Conservation Reserve Program lands for emergency grazing and haying in and around parts of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota affected by severe drought. USDA is adding the ability for farmers and ranchers in these areas to hay and graze CRP wetlands and buffers.

Can you find emergency assistance for livestock, honeybee and…

The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program provides emergency assistance to eligible livestock, honeybee, and farm-raised fish producers who have losses due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, not covered by other agricultural disaster assistance programs. Eligible livestock losses include grazing losses not covered under the Livestock Forage Disaster Program , loss of purchased feed and/or mechanically harvested feed due to an eligible adverse weather event, additional cost of transporting water because of an eligible drought and additional cost associated with gathering livestock to treat for cattle tick fever.

World coffee stocks to shrink to six-year low in 2017-18

World coffee stocks will fall next season to their lowest in six years - and for even longer in major exporting countries - sapped by record demand at a time of only marginally rising output. The US Department of Agriculture, in its first global coffee estimates for 2017-18, forecast stocks closing the season at 34.0m bags, a drop of 1.1m bags year on year, and the lowest since the end of 2011-12.