National Drought, 2012

For the contiguous United States, 2012 is the hottest year on record. Nineteen states had their warmest years and by June, over 50% of the country was in moderate to exceptional drought conditions. The agriculture sector suffered the greatest setbacks from the drought, with limited water availability and wildfire destruction of farm land leading to low production rates. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) led the response and recovery efforts of the drought disaster, with the Department of the Interior (DOI) serving as a supporting agency. In an attempt to make drought response and recovery resources more readily accessible to state and local governments, USDA streamed the Secretarial disaster designation process, allowing for 40% faster access to disaster programs.

Through numerous drought meetings, USDA and supporting agencies identified the largest disaster concerns as improved weather forecasting, increased investments in research on plant and animal genetics as well as water efficiency, expansion of existing water infrastructure to allow for greater access, and federal policy to aid farmers with long-term economic planning. In order to aid USDA in supporting farmers impacted by the drought, DOI's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has allotted open grazing grounds for cattlemen whose plots were destroyed by wildfires.

 

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