"When I was a kid in the '50s ... it got real dry, but nothing like this, " said Marvin Helms, a 70-year-old farmer and rancher in central Arkansas who was compelled to sell his beef cattle after being short on feed.

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In short, they feed off the city's wealth while remaining aloof and secluded.

CNN: MEDAN'S MADNESS

If the bond markets read and believe the Fed's signals, short rates will feed through into long rates almost immediately.

ECONOMIST: A stimulating status quo