The U.S. Department of Agriculture's weekly Crop Progress report shows the nation's corn and soybean crops remain in poor shape amid widespread drought. Half of the nation's corn is in poor condition and 39 percent of the soybean crop is in poor condition, up slightly from last week. Large portions of both are grown in the Midwest where the drought is severe. Nearly 16-hundred counties in Ohio and 31 other states have been declared federal disaster areas due to the drought. But the drought does not seem to be having an effect on Ohio wine producers. Donnie Winchell, director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association, says bad spring weather resulted in a smaller crop.
Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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