Far-reaching drought chokes much of...

Far-reaching drought chokes much of U.S.: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared the entire state of Utah and numerous counties in Colorado, California, New Mexico and Arizona agricultural disaster areas, making farmers and ranchers in those regions eligible for federal emergency loans. The last major drought in the United States occurred in the late 1980s and had an estimated economic impact of nearly $40 billion. The economic impact of the current drought differs among regions and sectors, Mark Svoboda, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Nebraska said, 'but I think it's safe to say when it's all said and done, this one is going to be right up there. When we start looking at all the impacts, it's going to be in the billions of dollars.'"