Gustav hits soybean, corn crop in US

Hurricane Gustav did not wreak much harm as was expected but it hit the soybean crop in several areas of the US. Soybean crop was about to be harvested when the Gustav hit the US shores. According to reports, strong winds and rain from Hurricane Gustav caused significant damage to Louisiana’s corn and soybean crops. While cool, wet weather following the storm is threatening soybean quality in Mississippi, agronomists said more damage may be caused in other areas also. It was too early to gauge the full extent of crop losses in Louisiana because communication was still hampered by power outages. There are a lot of beans that were ready to be harvested. People are frantically trying to get them out. Gustav came on shore on Monday morning along the central coast of Louisiana. The storm has now weakened to a tropical depression. Farmers appeared to have a fairly good crop of soybeans prior to the storm.
The US Department of Agriculture rated 48% of Louisiana’s soybean crop as good to excellent as of August 24, up 2 percentage points from the previous week. As of August 1, the state was expected to produce 32.98 million bushels of soybeans. Soil was saturated in much of Louisiana before Gustav hit, and additional moisture from the storm threatens the crop’s quality. The vast majority of the crop is north of Interstate 20, and most of the damage was south of the Interstate. As of August 1, Mississippi was expected to produce 76.3 million bushels of soybeans. The state’s crop was rated 57% good to excellent as of August 24, down from 58% the previous week. Statewide, about 5% of the soy crop has already been harvested. Further harvest activity will be delayed until conditions dry up. _NDTV