The lower Mississippi River is the largest export region for U.S. soybeans and corn. According to the Soy Transportation Coalition, more than half of both are exported out of the Mississippi Gulf.
However, Hurricane Ida created a mess with flooding, lack of power and operations at grain shipping facilities. The Port of New Orleans website says how terminal operators continue restoration efforts but resuming operations depends on power. The website reads “New Orleans Terminal and Ports of America for containerized operations will remain closed until more information is known, and dependent upon power restoration.”
According to Bloomberg, a grain elevator in Reserve, Louisiana is responsible for nearly 9% of America’s bulk seaborne exports of corn, soybeans and wheat so far in 2021. The publication reports USDA shipments show a total of 6.45 million tons of agricultural product loaded at the Cargill terminal, with 5.3 million tons of corn topping the list. The primary recipient of crops through the elevator this year has been China, receiving 47% of its output including 2.5 million tons of corn and 485,000 tons of soybeans.
Betsy Jibben with AgMarket Consulting talks with AgMarket.Net co-founders Jim McCormick and Bill Biedermann about the port shipping issue and how Brazil’s crop struggles are supposed to play a role in U.S. exports. She also traveled to Dewey, IL and talked with Tanner Saltsgaver, a Farm Marketing Specialist with Premier Cooperative, about how the Gulf Port problems impact the cooperative.
-Betsy Jibben Media Director, AgMarket Consulting
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