By Daniel Munch
American Farm Bureau Federation
On March 26, a container ship rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge resulting in the structure’s collapse and the tragic loss of six construction workers. Aside from the everlasting impacts to the families that lost loved ones, the destroyed bridge has physically cut off key coal, container and automobile terminals at the Port of Baltimore from the outside world. In 2021, the port’s terminals processed over 37 million short tons of combined import and export product. This ranks the Port of Baltimore 17th in terms of cargo throughput in the United States. According to the government of Maryland, the port generates over $3.3 billion in personal income, 15,330 direct jobs and 139,190 related jobs. As the wreckage of the bridge continues to prevent the movement of ships to and from port terminals, negative economic impacts compound. This article provides an overview of the potential implication of the blockage on agriculture.