Markets will be impacted by the massive snowstorm hitting the Midwest, and unfortunately, another Arctic blast is on the way. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Meteorologist Brad Rippey shares potential impacts to livestock and winter wheat:
“We do have concerns that in the wake of two big snowstorms across the Central and Southern Plains in the Midwest,” Rippey said. “As the bitter cold and the icy winds move in, there could be some continuing stress on livestock, especially in areas where travel remains difficult due to snow and blowing snow. So, there will be some challenges for the cattle producers of the country in the nation’s midsection as we deal with back-to-back big snowstorms, followed by the bitter cold outbreak. Now, in terms of the winter wheat — the great news here is that many of our key winter wheat production areas will be blanketed by snow in advance of this Arctic outbreak.”
Rippey says a couple of areas of concern include the northern High Plains, Montana, and the western Dakotas where exposure to too cold of temperatures could induce winter kill on the crop.
