Our relief, delivered by massive storm clouds, comes at the detriment of our fellow Americans on the Gulf Coast. And though the fate of farmers' crops has been set, the water is sorely needed to replenish cisterns, rivers and aquifers.
After weeks of dry weather patterns and blistering sun, the drought that has gripped most of the nation's midsection since June is showing signs of leveling off, but that is not the case in Missouri, a U.S Drought Monitor report shows.
With livestock producers running out of forage, great rivers shrinking fast and food prices on the rise, the Drought of 2012 – likely the worst since the 1950s – is having an impact on millions of Americans. But the response so far by governments and lawmakers has been mixed.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) predicts corn production will be down 13 percent compared to last year and at will likely be the lowest level since 2006. Soy production could be slightly better, but the report still calls for a 12 percent decrease from last year.
With unusually warm spring temperatures and a drought-ridden summer, Missouri wine producers are looking at the earliest — and perhaps best — harvest in recent memory. It is a rare piece of good news in a summer of record-breaking heat and drought
The cows are the picture of health. Surrounding them, trees are shedding leaves and the pasture underfoot is crisp and cracked, long-since gone dormant in the inhospitable heat and drought so widespread this summer. Far too early, cattle farmers are buying feed. (Second of two parts)
John Busch says he has heard of other farmers simply giving up, cutting their corn and soy beans for silage to feed livestock. Busch does not think he is in that bad of shape, but yields do not seem promising. (First of two parts - Slideshow inside)
Sunday brought widespread rain to the region for the first time in almost a month, but forcasters say the relief will be short-lived. Highs this week are expected to climb into the upper-90s again and drought coditions to worsen.
As heat continues to soar and drought conditions worsen across much of Missouri and the Midwest, the summer of 2012 is shaping up to be the hardest growing season in decades. This week's map is significantly worse than the previous one.
Missouri and Illinois are now experiencing severe drought conditions, the U.S. Drought Monitor said Thursday. Despite a slight break in temperatures and some scattered thunderstorms, conditions slightly worsened over the past week.
Extreme weather · Agriculture · Weather · Heat · Wine
Jim McLaren · Chuck Dressel · Anthony Peccoux · Nick Pehle · Dick Durbin · Roy Blunt · Claire McCaskill · Todd Akin · Jim Angel · Thomas Brutnell
National Weather Service · U.S. Drought Monitor · U.S. Department Of Agriculture · National Agriculture Statistics Service · University Of Missouri Extension · University of Missouri College Of Agriculture · Missouri Farm Bureau · Donald Danforth Plant Science Center · University of Illinois Extension · Missouri Department Of Transportation
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Meeting in St. Louis next week, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will have its first opportunity as an assembled group to consider what to do after the Vatican issued a mandate for change this spring. It calls on the conference to reorganize and more strictly observe church teachings.
When a family of four goes to the St. Louis Zoo, they can be forgiven for not knowing it will cost them $60, $72 if they park. If they can't pay, the alternative is to tell the kids they can't do what kids do at the zoo.
Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley gave reporters less than a half-hour’s notice today when he announced that conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh’s sculptured bust will be formally installed in the Capitol at 1 p.m.
Developers on the south side come in all shapes and sizes, with ambitions that vary from single buildings to entire city blocks. In the first of a two-part story, Jason Deem talks about building community.
Author M.M. Costantin, who has lived near the Loop for more than 40 years, compiled a photo book that shows Delmar when it was bustling, when it was dangerous and when it came back to life.
They arrived four years ago as fifth-graders, behind in their work and not used to rigorous classes, but they've advanced rapidly and have a strong academic grounding for high school.
The Beacon's Mary Delach Leonard and Rob Koenig extensively covered flooding in 2011 in Missouri. Now this coverage is compiled in an iBook. Read the stories.
Organizers aren't trying to replace the rib fest, but music lovers will be able to find tangy sustenance as they listen to such greats as Mavis Staples (pictured), Big George Brock, Trombone Shorty, Kim Massie and Marquise Knox take the stage.
Isley, a world-class guitarist as well as a gifted songwriter, communicates and connects swith an audience on an intimate level at "An Evening of Music and Discussion." He is hosting the event on Thursday in O'Fallon, Mo.
Like many artists, dancer Antonio Douthit hears a different drummer. But the drumbeat that changed his life at 16 wasn’t in his head. It wafted from a window on Washington Avenue. Douthit comes home for a May 25 performance in "Spring to Dance."
Donna Korando is the Beacon's arts and features editor. You can contact her at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.
Developers on the south side come in all shapes and sizes, with ambitions that vary from single buildings to entire city blocks. In the first of a two-part story, Jason Deem talks about building community.
Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.
Twenty winners will split a million dollars and a wide array of professional services after this year's Arch Grants competition. Victors will also see one-on-one business mentoring in their prize package. The diverse group includes everything from biotech concerns to fashion enterprises.
Innovation and entrepreneurial activity are on the rise in St. Louis, especially in bioscience, technology and alternative energy. The Beacon's InnovationSTL section focuses on the people who are part of this wave, what they're doing and how this is shaping our future. To many St. Louisans, this wave is not yet visible. InnovationSTL aims to change that. We welcome you to share your knowledge, learn more about this vibrant trend and discuss its impact.
The Academy of Science-St. Louis hosts tours of EarthDance, an organic farm, and the Monsanto Agronomics and Breeding Facility May 21-22. The workshop is meant to prompt discussion and answer questions about these two competing philosophies of food production.
Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.
Vernon Bowman's challenge to Monsanto Co.'s patent on its Roundup Ready soybean seeds was billed as a David vs. Goliath contest. Goliath won and won big. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an Indiana soybean farmer had violated Monsanto's patent on its genetically engineered soybean seeds.
Sally Altman is the Beacon's Health and Science editor. You can contact her at saltman@stlbeacon.org.
You have to know your audience: McDonald's regulars don't need free-range chicken or a certain breed of beef; a second-chance high school needs personally motivated students as opposed to people ordered to attend and low-income Democrats by and large don't want a cigarette tax.
Last week, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura sacrificed his crown as the King of America. He faced an individual decision to play against the best in the nation or the best on the planet. Find out what happened at that world-level tournament.
Our world sees rapid change in many ways -- how we view women, races, sexual minorities and other populations, for instance. While a daily delivery of new and different can be exhausting, it can force us to reflect and consider how to move forward, often incrementally, toward what is good and what bring value to our lives.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's Voices editor. You can contact her and submit opinion pieces for possible publication at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.