Midwestern floods could drive food prices higher

Minnesota has, so far, been fortunate to avoid the catastrophic flooding and extreme weather that is wreaking havoc in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. But the pain of the Heartland may soon be felt world-wide. Rising global-food prices may be driven even higher due to crop loss and transportation disruptions in one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world.

According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered the nation’s corn production estimate to about 11.7 billion bushels — or 10 percent less than last fall’s crop on Tuesday. Besides the planted crops that may be lost the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has shut down 216-miles of the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri to all traffic, including commercial barges.

Our sister site, The Iowa Independent, has been providing excellent local coverage of the floods, including this video from the "divided" city of Cedar Rapids.