"Five weeks after historic flooding in the midwest, waters still cover pasturelands, corn and soybean fields. Much of the water has receded, but rivers still run high and washed out roads force people to take long detours. Residents in Missouri are putting their ruined possessions on the street and corn stalks heaped by floodwaters look like snowdrifts in the fields.

In March, more than 450,000 hectares (1.1m acres) of cropland and 34,000 hectares of pastureland flooded, according to an analysis of government and satellite data, prompting governors from Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota to declare states of emergency.

In all, the damage could cost the country more than $3bn (£2.3bn). Farmers and ranchers are still tallying the number of bushels and heads of cattle lost. And though the damage is unlikely to immediately affect the national or international price of grain and meat, the farmers who experienced the loss will feel the pinch."

Susan Cosier reports for The Guardian April 27, 2019. [2]