US Farmers Struggle With Drought

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US Farmers Struggle With Drought
A drought across much of the United States is forcing farmers to make difficult decisions. Damage to corn and soybeans is already severe in the hardest-hit areas. Alan Bowers Jr. is a farmer in the state of Illinois in the Midwest. He explains the situation this way: "You get up in the morning, and you think it might be another thirteen months before we get a paycheck. The corn and soybean crop is our paycheck." The corn on his farm is so dry, the stalks break apart easily. The corn is unusable. So in the middle of July, Alan Bowers decided to cut down his crop to avoid a total loss. He says it can only be used to feed animals.Alan Bowers Jr. and his wife, Lori, are hoping for a small insurance settlement to help them pay their bills until next year.Lori Bowers says: "People don't realize we have no boss and we have nobody to help us. And it's tough. You have to work together. You have to work with a husband and a wife and family, and together try to work through it."The Bowers could also lose their soybeans to the record high temperatures and lack of rain in the worst drought in more than 50 years. And Alan Bowers says the farm itself may not survive if next year is anything like this. The farm has been in his family for four generations. The drought is affecting the Mississippi River, the nation's longest and most economically important waterway. Last year, heavy rains flooded parts of the Mississippi.