By late July of 1988, nearly half of the United States, including Illinois, was experiencing a severe drought. Experts from the U of I recount the drought that hobbled the state’s ag community. It’s been 30 years since the drought of 1988 decimated crops in Illinois and proved to be among the costliest droughts in American history. President Ronald Reagan even visited to survey the damage. University of Illinois Professor emeritus Emerson Nafziger says the previous years saw low commodity prices as well, giving many farmers cause to park the machinery for good. “It probably, kind of, punched the last ticket for some people who said: I just can’t do this anymore.” Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel says the state as a whole only got about a month’s worth of rain over the entire summer months. “The hardest hit area was around Peoria,” Angel said. “They only got about 4 to 5 inches of rain for that whole period – April through July.” Reagan signed a multi-billion emergency aid package that fall.
