8 Ways the Drought Will Affect You

This year's drought, which is toasting more than half of the U.S., is the nation’s worst since the 1950s.

(Image credit: Thinkstock)

This year's drought, which is toasting more than half of the U.S., is the nation’s worst since the 1950s. Its impact will ripple through the economy, touching lives in a myriad of different ways -- from an uptick in fuel and some food prices to stringent water use restrictions. There are some drought upsides, too, including tastier fruit because most fruit trees like it dry, thank you very much.

Click through our slide show to see what the drought spells for you.

Ed Maixner
Editor, The Kiplinger Agriculture Letter
Maixner was a student of news writing, agriculture and public policy before starting as editor of The Kiplinger Agriculture Letter in 2003. Raised on a ranch in western North Dakota, he kept a foot in the family farm and the farm news beat through 20 years with North Dakota newspapers – interrupted to study economics and finance while finishing an MA degree in journalism as a Kiplinger fellow at Ohio State University. Ed worked on legislation in agriculture, natural resources and international trade as an aide in the U.S. House and Senate, then ran a Washington, D.C., agricultural news bureau before joining Kiplinger. He was president of the North American Agricultural Journalists in 2011-12.