Farmer Ricardo Mercau uses a tool to measure the ground water in a drought-affected farm near Tostado, northern Santa Fe province, some 800 km (500 miles) north of Buenos Aires, in this picture taken January 15, 2009. Argentina's beef industry and wheat and corn production have been devastated by the country's most severe drought since 1961, which has also affected agriculture in neighboring Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil. The crisis is compounded by the world economic slowdown, which is cutting demand for farm products and draining state finances just as ranchers look to the government for help. Picture taken on January 15, 2009. To match feature ARGENTINA-FARMERS/ REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci (ARGENTINA)
REUTERS/MARCOS BRINDICCI