Drought to Derecho: Farmers Face Challenges in Mission to Feed America

Across the country, farmers are facing a multitude of challenges in planting their Spring 2022 crop.

Farmer Michael England grows cotton, milo, and sugarcane in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. So far this year, he has planted less than a quarter of his farm. “We just don’t have the water to grow it,” he told his local news station.

Meanwhile, in the Northern Plains, farmers are battling lingering cold, late season snowstorms, and flooding rain. “We haven’t been able to get started at all… all of our fields have been too wet to get in, we haven’t planted anything as of yet,” North Dakota farmer Kevin Skunes said.

Two farms: one far too dry, and the other far too wet. This is a story being repeated on farms nationwide.