#NoPlant19 Calls Attention To Nightmare Crop Season After Massive Flooding in the Midwest

One of the most striking ways to visualize the effects of climate change is by looking at photos from farmers whose crops have been suffering. The hashtag #NoPlant19 offers a sobering glimpse into the struggles of the agricultural world, with farmers posting photos with the hashtag to call attention to their inability to plant crops due to the particularly harsh flooding in the Midwest and Plains regions.

As of May 26, only 58 percent of the corn scheduled to be planted across the country’s 18 biggest corn-producing states has actually been sown in 2019. By the same time last year, that number was 90 percent. By looking at the #NoPlant19 hashtag, you can really see the wide-ranging effects of flood season and just how dire the situation really is.

Amid the increased precipitation, reduced crop production has driven prices way up. According to Commerzbank AG analysts, “It is no longer an exaggeration to say that the corn price in Chicago is skyrocketing. Weather forecasts do not suggest any significant change in the weather over the next few days. Accordingly, there are growing concerns about soybean planting.”

This year’s weather has been particularly awful for agriculture in the US. The past 12 months mark the country’s wettest stretch ever recorded. US farmers grow a third of the world’s corn and soybeans, but massive rainfall and flash flood warnings across the grain belt have slowed production to a near halt.

H/T: Food & Wine