Bone-dry US Northern plains means crops from barley to oats are parched

Chicago

WHEAT'S not the only crop getting parched as a worsening drought grips the northern reaches of the US Great Plains.

The arid region, traditionally known as a wheat heartland, has seen corn and soyabean output boom in the past decade as seed technology improved. It remains a key source of much of the nation's smaller grain and oilseed crops, such as barley, sunflowers and oats.