This Just In ...

Culinary no-no #288

Posted by Kevin Fischer on July 29, 2012

Culinary no-no's

THERE ARE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF
FOOD BLOGS, BUT ONLY ONE CULINARY NO-
NO!

On occasion, this generally soft blog feature becomes extremely serious in tone. Culinary no-no #52 comes to mind.

We're somber again this week as we provide an update on the ramifications of the Drought of 2012.

A drought, like the one we're experiencing this summer, is devastating.

A drought-damaged corn field is pictured near Emery, Iowa July 27, 2012. Crops in the northern and eastern U.S. Midwest will benefit from showers and cooler temperatures over the next week but heat and drought will continue to punish crops in the southwest, said MDA EarthSat Weather agricultural meteorologist Don Keeney July 27. Photo: Reuters





Drought-damaged corn is seen near Lawrence, Mich. on Friday, July 27, 2012. As far north as southeastern Michigan the 2012 drought is effecting crops. Farmers in four western Upper Peninsula counties are expected to be eligible for low-interest loans due to heat- and drought-related crop damage and losses. The drought follows a blow to Michigan's tree fruit industry this year. Photo: AP

Cows graze in a drought-damaged pasture as temperatures climbed to over 100 Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) in Jasper,  Indiana, July 24, 2012. Rainfall across the northern U.S. Midwest over the next 10 days will provide some relief for the drought-stricken corn and soybean crops, but more rain is needed to stem further crop losses, agricultural meteorologists said on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Governor Scott Walker  talks with farmer Jeff Ehrhart about drought damage to his corn crop in the background on Friday, July 20, 2012, in Burlington, Wis. Photo: AP
 

In the above Wisconsin State Journal photo, Howard Dahlk, of rural Verona, inspects his withered corn crops. The year is not 2012. The picture was taken in June of 1988. That year, all of Wisconsin was hit by an intense drought. Dry conditions began the previous year and continued into 1989.

Last Sunday morning on Channel 12’s UpFront with Mike Gousha, Wisconsin Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel gave this less than encouraging assessment: This year's drought is worse than the one of 1988.

“The livestock industry is the one feeling the brunt right now. In the fall, during harvest, we will see how bad the grain industry is.”

Worse than 1988?

The State Journal ran the numbers for Madison.

Avg. Madison temps

Madison rainfall

Lakes and streams

* through late July

** full year

*** cubic feet per second

Sources: National Weather Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin State Climatology Office


2012 worse than 1988 wasn’t the only bomb Brancel dropped on the program with Mike Gousha. There was this stunner, that the drought we’re going through isn’t terrible enough to warrant federal aid.

“The federal government uses thresholds, time frames and the drought monitor. You have to get into a certain severe category for a certain time frame, and we haven’t reached that yet,” said Brancel.

Makes one wonder how much dust we have to cough up before Washington D.C. notices.

That was last Sunday.  On Wednesday, the light bulb finally went on for the pencil-pushing bureaucrats as the USDA declared 23 Wisconsin counties, Adams, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Lafayette, Marquette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, as disaster areas.

Those occasional downpours of rain we got last week?  Of course we’ll take ‘em, but…too little, too late.

The Weather Channel’s website reports the drought actually got worse last week:

“The 2012 drought disaster is rapidly worsening in severity, especially over the nation's agricultural heartland, according to the latest weekly U.S. Drought Monitor report, released Thursday.

While the area covered by the overall drought grew only slightly, the intensity increased alarmingly. Nationally, the percentage of the country in 'extreme' to 'exceptional' drought – the two worst categories on the scale – jumped from 13.53% to 20.57%. 

In other words, another 219,000 square miles were added to the area in extreme drought – an area slightly larger than the states of California and New York combined. This is the largest one-week expansion of extreme drought in the 12-year history of the Drought Monitor report.”

Take a look at the map supplied by the Weather Channel. Check out southern WI.

Severe drought ... bad.

Extreme drought ... worse.

WISC-TV in Madison reported last week, "Wisconsin's largest co-op cattle marketer has seen a significant increase in livestock sales as grazing land dries up and feed prices rise."  Cattle for sale.

And it's come to this.

Contractor Joe Perazzo, pictured, operates his business, Grass is Greener Lawn Painting out of Staten Island

Customers, including farmers, are spray-painting their lawns ...green.

What does it mean to you at the dinner table? The obvious.

I know! I'll eat out! NOT!

Last week, despite the problems our farmers were confronting, our own government lectured us to eat less beef, only to later renege.

And if not beef, what then?

Finally, any good news? Afraid not.

Remember the above WI State Journal photo from 1988 that had a caption informing dry conditions began the previous year and continued into 1989? Our current drought could last for awhile.

If you believe in prayer...


CULINARY NO-NO BONUSES

I'm thinkin' some would call this a no-no.


Did any WI stores make this list?