Midwest Drought Belt: A Changed World Emerges [1]

Browned farmland, full of severely damaged corn stalks due to a widespread drought, as seen from the air near Ames, Iowa, August 28, 2012.

At first glance, it looks like a typical fall across the Midwest. It's not.

Beneath green pastures and lawns brought to life by August rains, the earth is still desiccated. On closer inspection, the brown corn stalks are half as tall as they should be and the husks contain stunted ears -- or nothing at all. The drought of 2012 isn't just a rural tragedy. Barges plying the Ohio and Mississippi rivers carry less cargo to avoid running aground in low water.