Concerns are deepening for the wheat crop from Australia, the world’s second biggest exporter. The country is in the grip of the worst heave wave on record, and even though wheat planting is not supposed to begin for a few months, the hot, dry weather which is melting roadways and starting multiple fires is forecasted to last through March. Temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) have sapped the soil of the much needed moisture for planting. Australia’s wheat production fell by almost 25% after an all-time high yield of 30 million tons in 2011. Adding to the concerns for the global wheat supply, Russia’s wheat exports this year are expected to be half of what they were last year.