100mph winds have devastated some corn crops and farmland in the US.
Corn crops were flattened and grain bins destroyed when a storm known as a ‘derecho’ swept through some of the main corn producing states in the US on Monday, August 10.
States across the US mid-west were hit by this storm which left people injured, flipped over cars, caused trees to fall, tore road signs, and lifted rooftops, while also leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.
Winds of 100mph were reported in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Reports suggest that the storm hit Indiana most severely when it hit the area on Monday afternoon.
A derecho storm, although carrying wind speeds of a hurricane, does not have an eye and winds spread over a much larger area according to reports.
Effect on agriculture
Cargill Inc’s oilseed processing facilities in Iowa were closed as a result of the storm, while Reuters also reported that ADM’s corn processing facility was offline.
Grain bins were damaged in Iowa, which is the US’s main producer of hogs and corn. Those farmers will now have to secure storage ahead of this season’s harvest.
Reuters reported that Heartland Co-op had damage to its storage facilities in 21 different locations.
“Several locations are rendered inoperable and we are making contingency plans for managing the fall harvest,” the company told Reuters.
The same report outlined that Landus Cooperative – which is one of the country’s largest grain storage companies – had damage at three of its facilities.
According to Reuters, 30% of 7,000 producers which supply the cooperative farm were in the path of the storm.
The CEO of the cooperative, Matt Carstens, commented to Reuters that the storm crossed over approximately 20% of Iowa’s corn crop and stated “there’s no doubt we’re going to lose some of that”.
