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June 23, 2008
In this entry: quotes, warm up questions, discussion questions, resources
VIDEO SUMMARY: This video details the reality facing an Iowa farmer who lost almost his entire farm from the recent widespread flooding in the Midwest.
The 8-minute report tells the sad story of farmer Jeff Boyer's pigs, which were trapped by the flood. Many of the pigs drowned or were later euthanized because they were contaminated by polluted floodwaters.
With most of his corn fields underwater, Boyer has lost all but a few acres of his crop, a problem facing many farmers who live in areas near Midwestern rivers that topped levees and put entire towns underwater.
For the Boyer family, the loss of their farmland and hogs is particularly devastating: they did not buy insurance to protect their property if it was ruined by flooding.
The flooding losses will have an impact on food prices across the country, a food economist explains in the video. Because Iowa supplies more corn than any other state, the 15 to 20 percent of Iowa corn ruined by flood water will reduce corn supplies, driving up the price for people interested in buying corn from other farmers.
The economist tells reporter Elizabeth Brackett that Iowa corn is used to feed farm animals and make ethanol. In Chicago, she reports, the price of corn has reached record high prices in the trading markets.
SELECTED QUOTES:
"Did we think we'd flood? Of course not, who -- I mean, not to this devastation. You know, maybe a foot or two, I was thinking, or, you know, something like that, but not like this." - Barb Boyer, farmer.
"A lot of people depend on Iowa for their feed grains. A lot of the ethanol plants that were built like in California and other states away from Iowa were planning on importing our corn to make their ethanol. A lot of cattle feeders import corn from Iowa to feed their cattle. So it will have a ripple effect that will go on throughout a good part of the U.S." - Jim Jensen, economist at Iowa State University. WARM-UP QUESTIONS:
What role do farmers play in the economy? Why do ruined crops and livestock make prices for those items go up? What problems can be caused by flooding?
What role do farms play in America's history and culture?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How did this report make you feel? Did it make you want to know more about the situation? Why is corn important? Why is the loss of many corn farms bad for many people in America?
Were you surprised by the amount of water on the Boyer's farm? Why do think they decided not to buy insurance, and how is that decision affecting them now?
Imagine that you are a corn farmer who did not lose anything in the flood. What does the flooding mean for you and your business?
Do you think the government has a responsibility to try to stop massive flooding, or should it be up to each farmer? If farmers don't buy insurance and lose everything, should the government help them? Why or why not?
RESOURCES
Transcript of this report
Online NewsHour:
Iowa Residents Wait to Return Home As Flood Waters Move On
Former United Nations Chief Kofi Annan discusses how the food crisis is affecting Africa
Food Prices Will Likely Remain High, Report Warns
Des Moines Register:
Interactive map of areas affected by and in danger of flooding
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