Mississippi River Continues To Trend Lower, Draft Restrictions In Place For Shipping
Barges plying the shrinking lower Mississippi River have to reduce their draft, meaning operators will have to cut the amount of cargo their boats carry to meet the latest restrictions.
“The gauge at Memphis dropped to the low water threshold of minus 5 feet on Aug. 30,” said Scott Stiles, extension economics program associate for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The last two years, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a 9-foot draft requirement when river levels fall below the low water threshold.
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Abundant Rain And A Long Growing Season: How The Louisiana Climate Affects Agriculture
The Louisiana climate is heavily influenced by the Gulf of Mexico and the subtropical climate that we share with the four other Gulf Coast states. Of those Gulf Coast states, we are on average the wettest. That rain is a big component of why we call Louisiana Sportsman's Paradise, and the abundance of water that creates a green environment is a monster contributor to Louisiana agriculture.
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Could Louisiana See Drought Conditions Again in 2024?
Louisiana experienced unprecedented hot weather last summer, which carried into the fall and winter months, this being known as drought.
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Midweek Weather Outlook Videos Available On Cotton Cultivated Website
Cotton Incorporated and Nutrien Ag Solutions have teamed up to provide weekly weather update videos via the Cotton Cultivated website to make sure cotton producers have access to information they can count on. This weekly forecast is tailored specifically for cotton producers.
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El Nino Expected To Bring Drought Relief In '24
As U.S. producers continue to make production decisions regarding the 2024 season, the weather forecast is an important consideration. Will El Nino break the Southwest drought? What about rainfall in the Southeast? Will the Mississippi River see relief? What is the moisture outlook in the Western U.S. in states such as California?
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New Maps Reveal Who Could See More Snow This Winter During A Strong El Nino
As the US gears up for a winter heavily influenced by the first strong El Niño in years, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have released maps that offer insight into where snow could pile up.
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Summer Drought Hurts Hammond Pumpkin Patch
With Halloween upon us, many families still need to pick out the perfect pumpkin for their front porches. At Mrs. Heather's Pumpkin patch in Hammond, dry weather during the summer hurt crops in the fall.
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Drought Conditions Impacting Crop Insurance Costs
Extreme weather, such as the drought in Texas, is not just wearing on the spirit of American farmers. It is also leading to more crop insurance claims and increased cost for the taxpayer, insurance provider, and farmer. A Stanford University study published in 2021 analyzed the impact of warming temperatures on the cost of crop insurance from 1991 to 2017, and found it contributed to more than 19% of the $141 billion in losses covered by the federal program in that time frame.
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Mississippi River Near Historic Lows, Grain Exports At Risk
A key stretch of the lower Mississippi River dropped this week to within inches of its lowest-ever level and is expected to remain near historic lows just as the busiest U.S. grain export season gets underway, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
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Low Water Levels May Plague Agriculture This Fall and Winter
From the Mississippi River to the Panama Canal, this year’s drought has resulted in low water levels that are likely to disrupt agricultural production and trade through at least the end of the year.
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Low River Levels: The Sequel No One Wants To Watch
It’s game time says Soy Transportation Coalition executive director Mike Steenhoek, and key waterway infrastructure systems are not ready.
“There's a couple times a year where it's game time more than others, and harvest season is one of those periods and you need to have our supply chain operating on all cylinders,” Steenhoek says.
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Severe Weather and Low Mississippi River Levels Bring Uncertainty to Harvest
2023 has already yielded its fair share of major weather disasters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has confirmed 15 weather disasters with total economic losses exceeding $1 billion each as of August 8.
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Get Prepared During Flood Awareness Week
August 21 to 25 is Louisiana Flood Awareness Week, an opportunity to educate citizens on the many ways to prepare for floods and mitigate future damage.
“Anywhere it can rain, it can also flood,” said Carol Friedland, director of the LaHouse Research and Education Center. “Staying prepared and weather aware during a flood is important to keep Louisiana communities safe.”
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Farmers Taking Loss As Extreme Heat Affects Crops & Could Affect Crawfish
Ray Schexnayder, with Schexnayder & Sons LLC, understands that as much as anyone. He says his farm will be short about 25 to 30 bushels of corn this year. Since corn can be used to help catch crawfish, it could affect how much are caught, and might affect the price next season.
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The Midwest is Set to Bake Under High Heat, Ag Meteorologists Now Worry About Severe Crop Damage
Portions of the Midwest could see the most challenging weather yet this year, and according to leading ag meteorologists, it's creating more concerns for crop conditions. With heat forecast to top 100 degrees, along with little rain in this week’s forecast, crop conditions could deteriorate and the biggest risk in the western Corn Belt.
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