Some portions of ag country are experiencing an arctic blast right now, which they have not seen in decades.
The Northern Plains are seeing temps as low as -30º and snow is on the beaches of Florida. That causes concern for Florida’s citrus and strawberry crops and sugarcane in Louisiana.
On the other hand, over-wintering crops like wheat stand to benefit from the snow cover which acts like insulation from the bitter cold.
USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey addressed the cold’s impact on livestock:
“All of this cold comes with some risk for livestock. We do have the bitter cold, in some cases high winds accompanying that. The one piece of good news is that we don’t have a lot of wetness or wind or snow as just flat-out cold. We are watching some increased stress on the animals. A little tougher to keep the weight on the animals this time of year, as a lot of the energy goes into staying warm.”
Now that cold has also reached Texas where the state’s port activity was impacted by the rare winter storm.
The Port of Houston closed its public facilities while Freeport had very limited vessel activity. Both areas experienced heavy snow, ice, and high wind gusts.
