The largest U.S. producer of glyphosate is offline due to the impacts of Hurricane Ida. Bayer Crop Science confirmed its Luling, La., site was offline as of Monday. However, the duration of the pause in production is still unknown.
“In keeping with our regular hurricane emergency preparedness protocol, our Luling, La., site has been closed and securely locked down as Hurricane Ida passes through the area,” says Kyel Richard, a spokesperson for Bayer. “A small emergency crew is sheltering in place on site to keep it secure. Our thoughts are with them, the people of Luling and everyone in this hurricane’s path.”
The Luling plant is the largest producer of glyphosate, which is the main ingredient in Roundup, in the U.S. A shortage of both glyphosate and glufosinate this past spring caused prices to climb 50% in some cases. It’s unclear how supplies sit today.
As Hurricane Ida made its way further inland, the aftermath quickly showed up in the form of shipping delays for key agricultural exports like grain. However, a Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) executive says it’s also important to remember other products that rely on the Gulf Coast, and specifically, the New Orleans area.
“The lower Mississippi River is the No. 1 port region in the United States in terms of overall volume of freight handled, so not only soybeans and grain, but things like refined oil and plastics and a lot of a lot of products that make the U.S. economy hum,” says Mike Steenhoek, executive director of STC. “All of those sectors are really impacted by this critical area of the country. So, clearly this is something that we’re going to continue to monitor throughout the course of this week.”
Read more about Hurricane Ida’s impact on shipping and barge traffic here.
