Editorial Roundup: Illinois

Chicago Tribune. September 5, 2022. Editorial: Illinois farmers do their part to relieve food insecurity. They need more help. These are the best of times for Illinois’ corn and soybean farmers, as anyone driving along downstate highways can plainly see. With just weeks to go before the peak of our state’s harvest, productive fields stretch for miles. Outside Illinois, however, it’s mostly a different story. Heat, dryness, hail, wind, insect pests and disease have taken a toll in some critical growing areas – providing one more reason for a hungry world to bid up commodity prices. The mostly favorable conditions in Illinois and the rest of the eastern Corn Belt won’t be enough to make up for stressed-out crops in western Corn Belt states such as Nebraska, South Dakota and western Iowa. Based on its latest crop tour across the region – where its scouts literally count the kernels on ears of corn and the pods on soybean plants – marketing firm Pro Farmer estimates that overall yields will be substantially less than the U.S. Agriculture Department forecast Aug. 12. In a normal year, this disappointing outlook would hardly be a crisis. But thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin, runaway inflation and the threat of food shortages in poorer countries around the world this year, every bean and kernel counts. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says the world is experiencing a ‘œperfect storm’� for food scarcity. In a meeting last month with the Tribune Editorial Board, the veteran diplomat ticked off a list of pressure points, including the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, energy deficits and armed conflicts, especially Russia’s war in Ukraine. ‘œRussians are responsible for exacerbating this food insecurity crisis we’re all facing around the world,’� she told us. Even as global fuel and food costs moderate from their peaks earlier in the Ukraine conflict, poor countries will experience only limited relief – and Americans will see continued pressure on grocery prices. Inflation still ripples through the economy, and the U.S. Federal Reserve is wise to continue aggressive action against it. The spring planting season began, as it usually does, with optimism among the Midwest’s famously stoic farmers. Many use futures or forward contracts to lock in the price for their upcoming harvest, and Russia’s February invasion sent prices soaring, ensuring that a good crop would deliver a lucrative payday. Once it became clear the war would drag on for months, prices continued to rise. Ukraine is among the world’s leading producers of wheat, and the loss of its exports spilled over into other agricultural markets. Economic turmoil also reduced Russia’s ability to export grain and fertilizer. Prices for nitrogen shot up for Midwest farmers this spring, while potash and phosphorus also increased. A stretch of cold, rainy days delayed planting into late April across most of Illinois. Relief came in May, when the state’s farmers were able to fire up their big rigs and play catch up in ideal weather. Corn prices for the emerging crop began to ease that month, while soybean prices started to ease in June. The wide variation in conditions across the Corn Belt became obvious only later. If you haven’t already, say a little prayer for optimal weather this fall. While it’s too late to expect a big increase in yields, it is possible for Mother Nature to do more damage at a time when everyone should be hoping for the best. Hunger is on the rise worldwide. Close to home, food banks have seen a rise in demand as working families struggle with inflation. In some of the most vulnerable countries, famine is a real threat.