US farmers reeling after crops are hit with 'double whammy': 'Still recovering'

That ear of corn you're buying at the grocery store has been on a long journey. Lately, however, that journey has gotten much tougher. 

For farmers across the country, a brutal cycle of floods followed by drought is making it harder than ever to get food from the field to our tables. This weather whiplash is threatening livelihoods and could soon have a direct impact on your grocery bill.

What's happening?

In Vermont, farmers are reeling from what one official called a "double whammy" of extreme weather. A report from WCAX detailed how a severe drought has scorched crops across the state, forcing agricultural officials to seek a federal disaster designation. The dry spell hit at the worst possible time, right during the corn's crucial pollination stage.

For farmer Cy Nelson, it's a historic disaster. 

"My father, who's 83, he says he's been growing corn for 60 years here in this part of the state, and this is the worst drought he's ever seen," Nelson said.

Why is this concerning?

Is this just a string of bad luck? Not really. It's part of a much bigger, more worrying pattern. 

"The drought is damaging farms, and to compound the challenges, many farmers are still recovering from severe flooding during the last two growing seasons," Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts explained. 

That swing from too much water to not enough is happening everywhere. A September report from the World Meteorological Organization found the global water cycle is becoming "increasingly erratic," with only about a third of the world's rivers at normal levels in 2024. 

This instability hits home for everyone, as similar historic droughts in places like Australia are expected to cause food prices to rise.

What's being done about it?

The problem is huge, but people are finding some pretty amazing solutions, both old and new. 

What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home? Not enough time ⏳ Not enough space 🤏 It seems too hard 😬 I have a garden already 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

In Spain, for example, communities are fighting back against drought by restoring a brilliant 1,000-year-old irrigation system that cleverly manages scarce water. On the high-tech side of things, scientists are using gene editing to create tougher crops that can survive these extreme weather swings.

These kinds of innovations show that we have the tools to adapt and build a more resilient food supply for the future. For anyone who wants to dig deeper, there's a lot of helpfulinformation out there to better understand these critical issues.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.