Farmers struggle in Argentina as drought withers their crops

By VICTOR R. CAIVANO
Associated Press

URQUIZA, Argentina (AP) — The ground crackles as Guillermo Cuitino walks through dry farmland in Argentina that should be green and lush this time of year. The agricultural engineer grabs a soy plant and easily disintegrates its leaves with his hands. Cutino says that “this year’s drought was extreme” as he walks across the farm where he works nerly 150 miles from Argentina’s capital. He normally has a policy of not walking on cultivated land, but everything is so dry now that there is nothing to damage. Not even weeds are growing. That scene is repeated in farms across Argentina, where harvesting should be in full swing but months of dry weather has riuined crops. Farmers are scrambling to make ends meet and a sharp drop in expected export revenue will deal a severe blow to Argentina’s shaky economy.