23/10/12: US drought set to continue; man dies at Cargill facility; El Nino boosts grain crops

Hello, 

• Weather forecasters in the USA are uncertain that the drought will ease as the country heads into winter. The National Weather Service predicts that Iowa and the Midwest are likely to be warmer and drier than normal in early winter. The dry weather has already lead to a drop in corn yields, threatened drinking water supplies and affected wetlands. Read more...

• A man has died while servicing a grain elevator shaft at the Cargill plant in Bridge City, Louisiana, USA. Jeffery Feucht, 44, was working on a grain elevator when a cable on the service lift snapped and it fell several feet. Feucht was pronounced dead on the scene, while a colleague remains in hospital. Read more...

• Early El Nino rains are set to benefit Argentine grain output but not crop quality, reports Reuters.  Storms in September and October allowed farms to plant crops in areas usually too dry for farming.  Read more...

NASA Sees Tropical Storm Isaac and Tropical Depression 10 Racing in Atlantic (Photo credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video)