DES MOINES — Drought conditions worsened in several states over the past week from extreme heat and weeks with little rain, raising the prospect that grocery staples such as bread and beans could cost more as the region that produces those commodities is hardest hit.

Drought conditions have begun to stress corn, soybeans, wheat, and livestock in some areas, according to the weekly US Drought Monitor released Thursday by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Nearly 11 percent of the continental United States is in moderate drought or worse, said Richard Heim, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

About half of the nation’s spring wheat, 13 percent of winter wheat, 15 percent of corn, and 14 percent of the soybeans are in drought, the report said.

Consumers could see the price of bread rise, said Doug Goehring, agriculture commissioner for North Dakota, the nation’s largest producer of spring wheat and second largest grower of winter wheat.

associated press