About 90% of the corn acreage is backed by a generously subsidized federal insurance program, described by Steven Colbert as "Obamacare for the corn, " so crop farmers will be just fine.

CNN: Extreme heat and droughts -- a recipe for world food woes

In the 1990s China was one of the first countries to approve some genetically modified cash crops, such as cotton and corn, and today China has more acreage devoted to growing GM crops than just about any other country in the world.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Although the Murrows doubled their acreage, the farm was still small, and the corn and hay brought in just a few hundred dollars a year.

NPR: Edward R. Murrow: Broadcasting History

According to the department, 63% of the nation's hay acreage and about 73% of cattle acreage are in drought areas, as are about 87% of U.S. corn and 85% of soybeans.

CNN: Salt creeping up the Mississippi River