Midwest flooding adds to farmers' woes

Livestock owners under threat; five U.S. ethanol plants forced to shut

MSNBC News Services
updated 8:42 p.m. CT, Fri., June. 13, 2008

Flooding in the Midwest has damaged thousands of acres of cropland at a time when corn prices are already at record highs and Americans are stretching their grocery budgets.

Storms this week have inundated fields in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and other states where much of the world’s food is grown. The flooding also threatens livestock owners, who depend on the grain to feed their herds, and has forced the closures of five ethanol plants.

The flooding comes after a wet, damp spring that brought planting delays — which often translate into lower yields — and has pushed corn prices to a record near $8 per bushel, nearly double last year’s price.

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