The U.S. supply chain might be on the receiving end of a 1-2 punch that could crater an economy veering toward a possible recession.
In addition to a possible strike by railroad workers, a drought in the Midwest has slowed barge traffic on the Mississippi River, which is at the lowest water levels in 23 years.
Read MoreDue to a month-long lack of rain in the Mississippi Valley, river levels are more than 10 feet below normal, causing cruise ships to run aground and preventing cargo ships and barges from dropping off crops at their destination docks.
Louisiana officials are calling for more dredging of the river to try and ease a problem that they say will wind up costing consumers.
Read MoreMost people do not give rain a second thought, but for farmers, it is sometimes all they can think about.
“It’s every day, you go to bed thinking about it at night, you wake up early in the morning way before daylight thinking about it, that’s just a farmer,” said Keith Lacombe, owner of Keith Lacombe Farms.
Read MoreThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today trimmed its hurricane season outlook from a 65% chance for above normal activity to 60% and increased the odds of a normal season from 25% to 30% because of uneven sea surface temperature, including a patch of cooler water off Portugal. Parts of the Atlantic are warmer than normal, but the variability has forecasters “backing off on the higher end” of their predictions, says lead hurricane outlook forecaster Matthew Rosencrans.
Read MoreAs if commodity markets needed any more drama this year, this year’s Atlantic hurricane season could be the seventh-consecutive with above-average activity, raising risks for U.S. grain exports as well as oil production and refining capacity.
Significant disruptions for U.S. commodities resulting from hurricanes are more the exception than the rule, but tight global stocks, high prices and geopolitical conflicts could amplify any storm impacts that surface this year.
Read MoreSouth Louisiana is no stranger to hurricanes, but after Hurricane Ida’s destruction last year—16 years to the day since Katrina hit—preparation is more important than ever as the 2022 Atlantic season begins.
Read MoreHurricane season is once again upon us, and the LSU AgCenter has recommendations to mitigate potential damage and losses to yards, homes and pets as well as tips for keeping food and cleaning supplies on hand.
While not as active as the historic season of 2020, 2021 saw 21 named storms — including seven hurricanes, four of which were major. One of these, Ida, was a Category 4 storm second only to Katrina in its damage to Louisiana.
This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting an above-average season with the potential of 14 to 21 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes. AgCenter specialists have some guidance for staying prepared.
Read MoreAnother grueling summer disaster season is arriving, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is under intense pressure even as its portfolio balloons, it pleads for more money from Congress, and criticism comes on several fronts.
The agency manages more than 300 disaster declarations a year, a dramatic increase from the average of 108 disasters it responded to just a decade ago. For 2022, the disaster outlook is daunting.
Read MoreLouisiana already has 1 million gallons of fuel available if needed for its hurricane response efforts. State lawmakers are considering setting aside another 4 million gallons to address critical shortages in the wake of major storms.
Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Hessmer, has proposed the Louisiana Strategic Fuel Reserve in House Bill 1057. It calls for the state to spend $25 million to build three storage tanks at the Central Louisiana Regional Port in Alexandria, according to the bill’s fiscal note. Two tanks would hold gasoline and diesel, and the third would contain ethanol for blending fuels.
Read MorePhysical loss loans can help producers repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agricultural operation, including livestock losses. Examples of property commonly affected include essential farm buildings, fixtures to real estate, equipment, livestock, perennial crops, fruit and nut bearing trees and harvested or stored crops and hay.
Read MoreThe U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday contained more bad news for ranchers and all of agriculture. More than 61% of the contiguous US is in some classification of drought.
Read MoreFreezing temperatures can be detrimental to wheat. Temperatures, depending on where you are in the state, beginning this weekend and into next week (February 4-12) are projected to dip into the mid to low 20s. Wheat that hasn’t jointed should be ok except for some foliar injury. This injury is usually superficial, and the plants should recover
Read MoreOne of the major inflationary forces of 2021 has been the weather.
Wild weather around the world wreaked havoc on markets for raw materials, lifting prices for everything from electricity and heat to houses and breakfast cereal.
Read MoreThis week's U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) report finds continued deterioration in drought-like conditions across areas of the Mid-Atlantic (Virginia, North Carolina) and the Southeast (South Carolina, Georgia) in response to below-normal precipitation (past 30- to 90-day period), declining soil moisture and streamflow levels.
Also, the drought conditions expanded and intensified on the map in areas of the South including Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas as well as in the Southern Plains of Oklahoma, where overall warm and dry conditions have prevailed during the past 30- to 120-day period, according to the Drought Monitor map.
Read MoreHurricane Ida ravaged Louisiana agriculture this fall. The hurricane brought as much as two feet of rain in some areas, as producers grappled with losses and aftermath.
"My community took a hell of a beating," Ashly Pitre, president of LaFourche Parish Cattleman's Association, told "This Week in Louisiana Agriculture."
Cattle were stranded for days, and producers worked around the clock to get to their livestock and move them to safety. But even then, the Hurricane left its mark, as This Week in Louisiana Agriculture covered it first-hand this year.
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