The total agricultural impact that Hurricane Harvey will have on shipments of the top U.S. crops through ports in Houston and Corpus Christi is yet to be determined.
According to the Soy Transportation Coalition, 24 percent of U.S. wheat exports leave from the Texas Gulf region.
Three percent of corn shipments and two percent of soybean exports are shipped through the Texas Gulf. The potential impact in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico will be a bigger threat to corn and soybean shipments.
Ben Scholz, chairman of the Texas Wheat Producers Board, told Bloomberg flooding will disrupt wheat shipments through ports in Houston and Corpus Christi.
Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition told Bloomberg grain handlers who export from the Mississippi Gulf region are taking Harvey very seriously.
“This is something that is going to really, at a minimum, impose some delays,” Steenhoek said. “At maximum, it could wreak some havoc on the entire grain and soybean logistics system.”
The lower Mississippi River area accounts for about 60 percent of U.S. soybean and corn exports, according to Steenhoek.