News USA
US agriculture does not benefit from Hurricane Laura
American agriculture continues to be plagued by drought. With the arrival of Hurricane Laura, major arable states in the Midwest hoped to benefit from the rain that comes with the hurricane. Unfortunately, the showers don't appear to be reaching these states as the hurricane appears to be drifting east.
Last Thursday, August 27, Hurricane Laura made landfall in Texas and Louisiana with wind speeds of 240 miles per hour. The hurricane was described as the strongest hurricane ever. Hundreds of thousands of Americans managed to get themselves to safe areas in the days before, and large herds of livestock were also moved. After the hurricane made landfall, Laura quickly weakened. In the late afternoon she drifted further inland as a 'tropical storm'.
Arable
A disappointment for major arable states in the Midwest like Nabraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. The fields with soybeans, grain and maize are having a hard time due to the persistent drought and could use the rain well. Showers are expected to drift out of the country over the southeastern states of Arkansas and Mississippi.
Despite the hurricane's loss of strength, Laura did some minor damage when it made landfall. Due to the rain, the harvest in Mississippi and Louisiana is likely to be delayed in the next 2 weeks. In addition, sugar cane has blown over in some places, but this is expected to have minimal impact on yield and harvest as the tops are not broken.
As far as we know, no fields have been completely flooded, which normally also causes major damage. In addition, arable farmers in various areas have already brought in their harvest with foresight to prevent damage.
Moving livestock
Not only did residents get themselves to safety, ranchers also moved their livestock to safer areas to avoid possible drowning. In Chambers County, Texas, some 1.100 cattle were moved to higher areas. To make this possible, roads were closed by the police.
It is vital for livestock farmers to bring their animals to safety when a hurricane is imminent. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 made this more than clear. About 10.000 cattle are expected to pay for Katrina's death because they were not brought to safety.
Jorine Cosse
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