The extent of the recession has hit America hard, according to a new Census Bureau report Thursday.

According to the report, 44 million Americans, or one in seven, lived in poverty in 2009, which is an increase of 4 million from the year before.

The poverty rate, according to the report, climbed to 14.3 percent — the highest level since 1994 — from 13.2 percent in 2008. The rise was steepest for children, with one in five residents under 18 living below the official poverty line, the bureau said.

According to the New York Times, “The report provides the most detailed picture yet of the impact of the recession and unemployment on incomes, especially at the bottom of the scale. It also found that the temporary increases in benefits in last year’s stimulus bill eased the burdens on millions of families.”

For a single adult in 2009, the poverty line was $10,830 in pretax cash income; for a family of four, $22,050.

According to the Census Bureau report,the number of residents without health insurance in 2009 climbed to 51 million, from 46 million in 2008.

“The share of children who were uninsured fell, though, reflecting an expansion of government health programs covering low-income children. The share of uninsured adults rose, as a long-term decline continued in the number who have private health insurance. Health experts expect the share of residents without health coverage to decline in coming years as the health care overhaul adopted by Congress in March begins to take effect,” according to the New York Times story.

The rate of uninsured Americans is now 16.7 percent from 2008′s 15.4 percent in 2008, when there were 46.3 million uninsured. It was one of the largest single year increases since the Census starting tracking the figure in 1987.

What this Census reports implies is that the stimulus program worked, but wasn’t big enough and that health insurance reform is needed more than ever before it bankrupts this country.

Al Dutcher, state climatologist in the university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said a strong La Nina event is coming, possibly one of the strongest in the past 50 years.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Niña is defined as cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific ocean that impact global weather patterns. La Niña conditions recur every few years and can persist for as long as two years.
NOAA said La Niña often features drier than normal conditions in the Southwest in late summer through the subsequent winter. Drier than normal conditions also typically occur in the Central Plains in the fall and in the Southeast in the winter.
In contrast, the Pacific Northwest is more likely to be wetter than normal in the late fall and early winter with the presence of a well-established La Niña. Additionally, on average La Niña winters are warmer than normal in the Southeast and colder than normal in the Northwest.
In recent events, Dutcher said it was a fairly decent harvest period with above normal temps and dryer conditions with intermediate periods of above normal precipitation. He said high pressure would sit and hold for seven to 10 days at a time, giving farmers a long enough stretch to use Mother Nature for natural drying, something Nebraska producers like to do.
This year should not be a problem, he said, for producers who want to use Mother Nature to dry the corn. It looks like there will be above normal precipitation periods, but Dutcher said it doesn’t look like there will be long stretches of muddy field conditions.
“A rapid harvest, even with a lot of rainfall, should be here this fall,” Dutcher said. “Nothing points to an extended wet pattern.”

Weather-related problems farmers experienced in August with above normal temperatures contributed to lowering corn yields prospects in Nebraska, according to a crop report released Friday by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.
According to the USDA crop report, based on September 1 conditions, Nebraska’s corn crop is forecast at 1.53 billion bushels, 1 percent below last month and 3 percent below last year according to.
The yield is forecast at a record high 179 bushels per acre, 1 bushel below last month. Acres to be harvested for grain, at 8.55 million, are down 3 percent from a year ago.
Last year, Nebraska farmers harvested 1.58 billion bushels, which was up 13 percent from 2008 year and a record high. Yield of 178 bushels per acre is 15 bushels above last year and highest of record.
Nationwide, the USDA said corn production is forecast at a record 13.2 billion bushels, down 2 percent from the August forecast, but up from the previous record of 13.1 billion bushels set in 2009.
According to the USDA, based on conditions as of September 1, yields are expected to average 162.5 bushels per acre, down 2.5 bushels from the previous month and 2.2 bushels below last year’s record of 164.7 bushels, but still the second highest on record.
According to John Anderson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, the expected decline in corn yield, nationwide, will put corn stock low as corn demand has increased worldwide.
“A 2.5-bushel yield reduction is quite substantial because the stocks-to-use ratio for corn is very low, but USDA is still forecasting a record crop of 13.2 billion bushels,” Anderson said. “Demand is strong, which is helping create a bullish situation for corn.”
Anderson said a major factor the market is looking at is USDA’s projection of 1.1 billion bushels in U.S. corn stocks.
“This would represent a little more than 8 percent of usage, which would put us at the lowest stocks-to-use ratio since 1995 when the stocks-to-use ratio was 5 percent. This puts us in a very tight supply situation,” Anderson said.
A tight corn supply could translate into “fairly high average corn price for this marketing year,” Anderson said.
“The corn price on average is well supported by this,” Anderson said. “However, I still don’t expect to see the kind of price swings like we saw in 2007-2008.”
The USDA also lowered total 2010/11 corn demand by 50 million bushels, keeping ethanol demand steady at 4.7 billion gross bushels for the marketing year. Total domestic corn use is virtually unchanged from last year.
Renewable Fuels Association’s Vice President of Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper said run-up in corn prices prior to the release of Friday’s report was spurred largely by the “reappearance of large index and hedge funds in the corn market.”
“The recent flurry of activity in the corn market is undoubtedly being driven by the resurgence of speculators,” Cooper said. “Hedge and index funds are descending on the corn market in numbers not seen since the spectacular commodities bubble of 2008. The movements of the market become sufficiently more exaggerated when this many speculators are in the game. The highs are higher, the lows are lower, and everything happens faster.”
Despite USDA’s adjustments in this morning’s report, Cooper said expected global grain ending stocks remain at one of their highest levels in the past 10 years.
“Worldwide grain supplies remain strong and US grain production is expected to be ample to meet demand,” said Cooper.
Other highlights from Friday’s crop report for Nebraska, are:
— Soybean production in Nebraska is forecast at a record high 294 million bushels, up 4 percent from last month and 13 percent above last year.
— Sorghum production in Nebraska is forecast at 6.1 million bushels, unchanged from the August forecast but down 53 percent from last year.

More than 100,000 farm and ranch families will visit the 2010 Husker Harvest, Sept. 14-16. But along with viewing the latest in agricultural technology, the event will provide opportunities to help those in need.

As harvest approaches with the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasting a record corn and soybean crop for the country, it’s estimated 2.8 million households in rural America need food assistance.

Monsanto, Husker Harvest Days and Heartland United Way are sponsoring the food drive to benefit local Nebraska food pantries. In addition, Monsanto will donate $1 per every pound of food collected, up to $20,000, to Heartland United Way and the local food pantries it is affiliated with.

“We’re proud to work with Husker Harvest Days and the Heartland United Way to sponsor the America’s Farmers Food Drive,” says John Raines, Monsanto Customer Advocacy Lead. “We are sponsoring this food drive on behalf of the American farmer to support Hall County in Nebraska and we encourage all farmers coming to the show to help us support the food drive.”

Along with the food drive, Stock Auction Company will again be teaming up with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in conjunction with Husker Harvest Days to conduct four auctions each day of Husker Harvest Days at 1 p.m. at the company’s tent. They will also have items selling on a timed online only auction ending Thursday, Sept. 16. at www.bigiron.com The proceeds from the items sold will be donated directly to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

All proceeds will go to help fund St. Jude in it’s ongoing fight against childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

According to the Heartland United Way, the local communities definitely have a need.

“In an area that prides itself on food production, it’s hard to imagine that children go hungry,” says Karen Rathke, President of Heartland United Way. “However, this past year we saw more than 50 percent of our youth in Hall County qualify for free and reduced meals at school, an indicator of stretched family budgets.”

She said community meals, food pantry shelves and local school food backpack programs need food to provide help when it is needed most.

“It’s great timing to have this food drive and partnership with Monsanto and Farm Progress to raise awareness that the American dream of having enough food is not the reality for many people,” Rathke said.

Farmers who attend the 2010 Husker Harvest Days can donate food at food collection centers to be set up at each entrance gate Sept. 14 – 16. Each farmer who donates a bag of food will receive a hat; FFA members who donate a bag of food will receive free entry to the show.

“Husker Harvest Days is pleased to participate in this food drive,” said Don Tourte, Director, Farm Progress National Sales and Events. “It’s a great opportunity to give back to the community we will call home during this world-class farming trade show.”

In addition, food donations will be accepted through September 16 at Heartland United Way, located at 410 West 2nd Street in Grand Island, and at local Hy-Vee, Skagway and Super Saver locations. All food collected at these locations will be included in the $1 per-pound Monsanto match.

A similar food drive at last year’s Husker Harvest Days raised the equivalent of 13,000 pounds of food.