U.S. agriculture suffers worst drought in 25 years

 WASHINGTON, July 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. farming heartland had been suffering from the worst drought in 25 years, Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday, after meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss a response to the disaster.

Three fifths of the continental¹ United States was in a moderate to exceptional drought, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture ( USDA) in a statement. Besides, temperatures have topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit² (close to 40 Celsius) from time to time in many parts of the United States since June, especially in the central plains.

Due to damage and losses caused by the lack of rain and excessive heat, the USDA has designated 1,297 counties across 29 states as disaster areas in the 2012 crop year. It made them eligible³ for assistance like emergency loans with interest rates as low as 2.25 percent to 3.75 percent.

The United States is the world's major producer of grains and meat, and the damage to crops and to grazing land for livestock⁴ eventually will push U.S. and global food prices higher.

Corn price on the Chicago Board of Trade, a global corn price reference, once hit 7.89 dollars a bushel on July 17, the highest level in the past 13 months. Some market observers said it may reach a record 8.50 dollars a bushel, which in turn may cut exports of the U.S. most valuable crop.

Vilsack said prices for beef, poultry⁵ and pork probably will rise later this year and increases in the cost of processed foods will hit in 2013. Before the drought, Vilsack said the department was estimating food prices would go up between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent this year.

But he added consumer food prices should not rise immediately, since the original farm products costs were just a small proportion of a final supermarket bill, and in any case it will take a while for the crisis to reach store shelves.

1 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

2 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

3 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

4 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

5 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?