It is evident in West Michigan that we need rain…
Most grass is brown…
Most flowers are wilted…
Some trees are beginning to lose leaves and the leaves that are on the branches are beginning to curl….
The risk of fire and the reality of fire is reported daily….
I just heard of a golf course that is spending 2100 dollars a day to water….(which seems a bit absurd….)
And today I rode in my Uncle’s pick up and toured his fields. I heard him speak of drought, I saw the effects on the corn, the hay and the other crops. I heard from a man I love and respect, the impact this has on his every day. It is not about green grass or colorful flowers. It is about farming and feed, crops and provision…
When I take time to consider the impact, I feel the urgency…
I came home and read this:
But our area is not alone. Much of the country has experienced similar conditions, possibly resulting in one of the Top 10 droughts in the past 100 years.
West Michigan hasn’t seen these conditions since summer 1988. Damages from that drought, with inflation, are estimated to be about $78 billion.
In comparison, Hurricane Katrina caused about $125 billion in damages in the US in 2005.
The longer the rain stays away, the more damage will be done to lawns, crops and economy.
It may take a few months, but we could see the effects on our grocery store bills, as food prices could increase as much as 10%.
Corn, one way or another, affects up to 75% of products on grocery store shelves.
Won’t you join me in praying for rain….
Please Lord, send the rain….
Amen, all the corn is getting brown down here, the leaves are curling up, and its taking forever for my tomatoes to get red. We have been praying diligently…
with the early spring warm up, then frost- and now this. Our poor farmers.
I know I am reminded to Just Stop and pray. Your story reminds me of what Colorado Springs just went through. Heartbreaking to say the least…but it did rain and we can now begin the restoration.
It was us last year that was in a horrible drought. Wildfires broke out daily – there was even one in a field next to our neighborhood. This year is so different – we’ve had more rainy July days than sunny ones, which for us, is bizarre. I’ve heard the same stories on the news about the sense of urgency for rain, to save the corn crops in the midwest. It feels scary and unsettling for what it all might mean. Praying for God’s grace to open in the skies and rain down on Michigan and every parched land that needs it.