Tag: Weather

Hurricane Ida has left devastation in her wake, and that includes the agriculture industry.

Long story short… she’s idled the largest producer of glyphosate, blew ag exports off course, and shuttered sugar plants.

First up: Bayer Crop Science’s Luling, La., glyphosate plant remained offline as of Monday after a small emergency crew sheltered in place in the locked-down facility.

But the bigger story is the shipping delays. The storm’s 150 mph winds have impacted grain shipping facilities in the Port of South Louisiana, the largest grain port in the U.S. More than 50% of all U.S. grain exports annually pass through the key export area along the lower Mississippi.

And finally: Power line damage has kept two large sugar refineries offline, and reports of sugarcane damage have packed a punch to the sugar industry. As the second-largest producer behind Florida, Louisiana’s sugar industry is important for supply, and the industry is waiting for agronomists and farmers to fully assess the situation in the field.

Ida has arrived and she’s not a pleasant houseguest.

The storm roared onto U.S. soil Sunday with 150-mph winds, leaving over 1M+ homes and businesses without power. Despite its downgraded status to a tropical storm, Ida continued to wreak havoc on Gulf Coast levees, too.

And for agriculture, the timing is less than ideal.

A bummer for cotton. The fiber crop was on a tear in 2021, showing its best rating in five years with 71% of acres being rated good-to-excellent as of last week. Producers in the Delta and Southeast regions shared that the risk of flood damage to open cotton bolls and desiccating soybeans could crush end-of-season expectations.

Add in potential field flooding that could push field work back weeks and Ida could really make her mark.

Important to note: USDA officials reminded producers in the region of their partnership with FEMA to aid in disaster relief. Their disaster assistance discovery tool even helps find resources specifically targeted to rural and agricultural issues.

One other wild note: Ida was whipping up so much water that a U.S. Geological Survey gauge near New Orleans detected a ‘negative flow’ on the Mississippi River. In other words, the mighty Mississippi was flowing North, backward from its geological norm, an occurrence not seen since Hurricane Isaac in 2012.

Western states are feeling the heat as drought concerns hit all-time highs.

California posted its driest ever 12-month period, while 90% of the American West is suffering from some level of drought conditions.

Deja vu: 2012-2017 was another period of severe drought in the West. Experts say shifts in storm patterns and increases in global temps are making long dry periods more common.

Some even question if it’s not so much a drought… and more a new permanent state of being.

Tough choices: The region’s growers have few easy options. They’re reducing production acres, planting crops closer, and balancing scarce livestock feed and water supplies. Water is being diverted from annual crops (tomatoes, melons) to vineyard and orchard crops that are a longer-term investment.

Some are already culling cows and ripping up almond trees earlier than planned.

Dire consequences: Drought conditions can stoke deadly wildfires and drive wild predators to desperate behaviors. Farmworkers worry they’ll be out of work as production declines. And producers wonder about the long-term sustainability of their operations in the region.

Concerns of inflation and food scarcity are also out there. Looking back, the 2014-2015 drought cost California ag operations roughly $5 billion and 20,000 lost jobs.

#MoreDamStorage: While it doesn’t solve near-term problems, many are lobbying for new dams to capture winter floodwaters that current dams can’t capture. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack notes that current systems aren’t designed for decade-long ongoing drought situations, and more support is needed for farmers facing climate risks.

The country’s arctic blast has blasted agriculture this week.

Things have been bitter and intense – in both wind chills and business. Frigid temperatures and heavy snow affected all facets of the industry. Here’s a sampling:

• Ice warnings and restricted water navigation stalled shipments of corn and soybeans.
• Meat plants shuttered as livestock transport became difficult, and energy costs soared.
• Ethanol production halted as natural gas was rationed and blackouts were issued.

Even specialty crops felt the sting.

Texas fruit and veggie producers already branded last Sunday as the St. Valentine’s Day massacre as over 40 crops were hit by the hard freeze.

Add in a power grid problem: Because of the overwhelming demand for gas and electricity to heat and power homes, farms, and businesses, supply got so low (like the temperature) that rolling blackouts were issued across Texas.

Why you gotta be so cold: This cold snap could show its face on the list of 2021’s billion-dollar weather events. The damage will be assessed for weeks to come.