Sherwood Ross worked as a reporter for the Chicago Daily News and contributed a regular “Workplace” column for Reuters. He has contributed to national magazines and hosted a talk show on WOL, Washington, D.C. In the Sixties he was active as a public relations director for a major civil rights organization, and is now a regular contributor to OpEd News. Here are excerpts of his most recent report.

” … the drought (is) afflicting the American Southwest, burning up cotton, wheat, soy and corn crops, costing untold numbers of jobs, depleting water supplies and escalating food prices, a national magazine reports. This is taking place largely during the Obama administration. Seemingly, the president’s attention is fixed on foreign policy. Is he fiddling while the Southwest burns?

“‘A severe drought in the Southwest U.S. is devastating crops and farm communities,’ Sasha Abramsky reports in a prescient article published in the August 5-12 issue of The Nation.

“‘In a typical year, the winds ease up in mid-spring, and the dust tamps down. In the past three years, however, as the rains have failed and the land has dried up, the winds have continued into the searingly hot summers … the soil disintegrates … (and its) quality is now so poor that on the few occasions when it does rain, the next day’s wind simply blows the newly moistened topsoil away,’ the author writes. Sandstorms are now commonplace.

“‘Across the area you can see rows of cotton, black and dead in the orange earth – entire fields burned by the static electricity generated by … sandstorms,’ he adds. Some facts:

– U.S. Drought Monitor maps show virtually all central and western states suffering moderate to extreme drought. Despite the hard rains that fell this Spring in the east and north, the drought worsened in the west and southwest.
– 71% of America’s landmass has been branded a disaster area by the U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture (USDA).
– Arizona and Colorado are afflicted by forest fires of the ferocity that killed 19 fire-fighters in Arizona this past June.
– In 2011 and 2012 about half of the Texas cotton crop was killed by drought.
– U.S. corn, wheat, and soy production are all down owing to the drought. Corn production has dropped to its 2000 level, the USDA says, and much of the wheat produced goes into gas tanks in the form of ethanol. As a result, corn prices are rising, leading to a general food price upsurge that is impacting communities around the world that import from America.
– Aquifers don’t produce water as formerly; some areas haven’t seen rain in 18 months. “The water supply conditions we have right now are by far the worst we’ve had in the last 100 years,” New Mexico State civil engineering professor Phil King is quoted as saying. This year only 163,000 acre-feet of Rio Grande water is likely to be released to farmers, an all-time low.
– The U.S. cattle population has been dropping – down 10% in the last decade.

“‘As hay and alfalfa prices skyrocket in response to the drought, farmers are selling off animals they can no longer afford to feed … The tight supply sets up the prospect that consumers will pay far more for beef in the years to come,’ Abramsky writes. In eastern New Mexico and the Texas panhandle, he reports, 20% of the dairies have closed and consumers are noticing the impact of higher milk production costs. And, because so few cattle were left in the area, Cargill closed its Plainview, Tex., beef-processing plant, making 2,000 jobless.

“‘The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest level since 1952. Increased feed costs resulting from the prolonged drought. Combined with herd liquidation by cattle ranchers, are severely and adversely contributing to the challenging business conditions we face as an industry,’ John Keating, president of Cargill Beef, told Reuters …

“‘Just like in the days of the Dust Bowl, a way of life is under threat here, as are the livelihoods of millions of people,’ Abramsky writes. ‘If the weather chaos of the past few years becomes a new norm, the stability of the U.S. and global food systems could come under threat – tightening supplies, (and) increasing prices’ – as well as pushing American farmers off their land.’

“Farmers are seeing their arable land dwindle before their eyes and have become ever more reliant on crop insurance pay outs to cover basic operating costs. A farmer may have to shell out $ 20,000 or $ 30,000 to a private insurer for crop insurance, to insure the value of up to 75% of the crop. The private insurance firms are backed by the government which covers 60% of their costs.

“‘At the moment, farmers are surviving on grittiness, technological creativity and crop insurance,’ Abramsky reports. ‘But the pay outs are subject to the law of diminishing returns: each year’s payout is based on the average value of the previous ten years’ crops. Meanwhile, because insurance companies are disbursing record amounts to farmers, premiums are going up.”

“P.S. While 57% of President Obama’s budget goes to the Pentagon, only 1% of his budget is earmarked to help American Agriculture.” –

Obama isn’t our only chief executive who’s been fiddling while the Southwest is burning. Reagan, both Bushes, and Clinton, have also been ignoring the developing devastation in the area. Take another look at our Volume XXVII, Art. 25. Referring to a proposed canal in Turkey, we wrote:
“Sounds like a great idea, right? One of the biggest development projects in the world, the Prime Minister calls it. One of the biggest, yes, but not the very biggest. The ‘project’ we proposed to President Reagan back in 1982 (31 years ago), would be the very biggest. Like we said in that earlier commentary, ‘It will be mankind’s greatest undertaking and greatest achievement.’

“According to the Bloomberg report, the ‘Istanbul Canal’ would spawn two new cities, but as we pointed out, our ‘project’ will require construction of eight new cities and fifteen new harbors in the continental U.S.’

“We also made it clear that ‘Every U.S. citizen and most of the world’s population will benefit from this project for an indefinite period of time.’ How so?

“Here’s the GENERAL STATEMENT we sent to President Reagan on March 15, 1982:

“I propose that the U.S. Government begin construction of a canal along the U.S.-MEXICAN border, connecting the GULF OF MEXICO with the PACIFIC OCEAN.

“This canal will be approximately 1,600 miles long and Ω mile wide, will provide a continuous coastline for the U.S., and will be able to accommodate the largest ocean-going vessels.

“At least eight major cities and 15 seaports will be required on the U.S. side of the canal along with similar facilities on MEXICO’s side. Fifty or more bridges will be required to handle the flow of traffic and commerce between the newly-developed regions in southwestern U.S. and northern MEXICO.

“Low-lying areas can be transformed into man-made lakes and reservoirs by means of flooding and the use of aqueducts. A rainy regime in place of the present heat regime will be the natural consequence of this action, and lush vegetation and a more temperate climate will prevail over what is now hot, arid wasteland.

“Approximately two dozen underground power plants will provide electricity and water to the U.S. communities. These dual-purpose facilities should be patterned along the lines of the nuclear desalinization plant at SHEVCHENKO on the northeast shore of the CASPIAN SEA. At least a billion gallons of fresh water each day will be provided to the region, and much of it will be used for irrigation. Thousands of acres of land will be made arable, and the coming food crisis will be postponed indefinitely.

“The availability of fresh water through such desalinization plants will make it possible for SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, and other areas, to avoid the expected water shortage in the coming years.

“The development of this region will require airports, transportation and freight terminals, manufacturing facilities, commercial and residential structures, and high-speed trains linking the new southwestern cities with those on both coasts and in the Midwest.

“This project will require the resources of several hundred of the nation’s largest contractors. Supporting facilities and firms throughout the country will be fully engaged for many years.

“The project will bring employment to millions who are presently jobless. Increased revenues and reduced welfare obligations will enable the federal government to balance the budget, amortize the national debt, restructure Social Security and maintain the nation’s defenses.” –

“So that’s the GENERAL STATEMENT we sent to President Reagan. Did we miss anything? Food, electricity, water, jobs, affordable transportation facilities, a balanced budget, amortization of the national debt – every potential disaster anticipated and averted. And yes – this ‘project’ would have put the kibosh on illegal immigration and drug trafficking. How different life would be today!”