As harvest progresses, the visual evidence of this summer’s drought throughout eastern Canada will soon be left only to memory.

However, the effects of 2012’s hot, dry weather will likely be felt for a few years and by more than those who witnessed the withering plants first-hand.

Like those of you in Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, I spent most of the summer praying for rain. I had watched as one shower that occurred shortly after planting made my soybeans sprout out of the ground, only to then see them sit there almost stagnant for weeks on end as the sun rose and set with not a rain cloud in sight.

It is true that persistently dry conditions in North America are taking their toll on the agriculture industry. Many climatologists agree that we are experiencing the worst drought in more than 50 years.

As a result, forecasted yields for corn, wheat and soybeans have been revised down significantly. And that is pushing commodity prices up.