Weather and Drought

Having just finished watching this mornings US Farm Report on the My-Network's local affiliate out of Dothan this morning I'd thought I'd share a few numbers with you all.
* There are approximately 3.5 million acres underwater along the Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri and Arkansas Rivers. Arkansas is at the top of the list of devastation with a million acres affected. This includes 300,000 acres of rice and 120,000 acres of wheat. Tennessee has reported 650,000 acres impacted by the flood, with Mississippi and Missouri falling next in line at 600,000 and 570,000 acres respectively. Illinois is estimated to have half-a million acres under water, while Louisiana is pegged at 280,000 acres.
For comparison, about 3.5 million acres, Michigan has the second largest amount of state-owned "timberland" in the USA. "Timberland" is different than "forest" in that harvesting is allowed and minimum growth rates are defined. In terms of all ownerships, Michigan has the fifth largest area of timberland in the USA. Fifty-three percent of Michigan, or 19.3 million acres, is forested.
http://www.agweb.com/article/Corn_Planting_Progress_052311/ Corn Planting Process as of May 22, 2011, compared to May 22, 2010

http://www.agweb.com/article/spring_wheat_crop_condition/052311/ %20Spring">http://www.agweb.com/article/spring_wheat_crop_condition/052311/ Spring Wheat Planting Process