Recent severe weather has swept across the country, with hailstorms damaging the Nebraska crop and Hurricane Beryl making a significant impact on North America. Yet, the grain markets seem unfazed by the possible crop damage across the Midwest.
Eric Snodgrass, Science Fellow and Principal Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien Ag Solutions, joined “Unscripted” hosts Tyne Morgan and Clinton Griffiths to explore why these weather events have seemingly had little effect on the markets. It’s something he’s admittedly baffled by, as well.“2024 will be a year we remember as being one of the most active with severe weather” declares Snodgrass.
“Here’s one of our top producing states that just took a massive punch in the mouth, and to be honest, my biggest frustration was the lack of market reaction,” Snodgrass exclaims. “We just didn’t see the expected response when prime acres were wiped out.” Snodgrass, Griffiths, and Morgan discuss multiple weather events across the country that have not gathered the anticipated market responses.
Snodgrass thinks up to 500,000 acres of crops were damaged by last weekend’s hail storm.
Following the hail damage in the Midwest, another severe weather event, Hurricane Beryl, brought much-needed rain to the eastern corn belt, alleviating potential drought concerns in key areas.
Snodgrass describes the upper Midwest as a “brown ocean,” explaining that abundant moisture in the soil and vegetation can locally evaporate and fuel storms whenever conditions are conducive, a phenomenon likely to manifest over the coming days and weeks.
Additionally, Snodgrass clarifies the current weather patterns, stating, “There are a lot of folks attributing what’s going on to La Niña, but La Niña just isn’t there yet.”
After sharing tremendous insights throughout the entire podcast, the group playfully dubs Eric their go-to “phone-a-friend” for future trivia challenges and eagerly anticipates his forthcoming 75-minute meteorology video following him watching the new Twister’s movie.
Unscripted is a show where scripts take a back seat. Tyne and Clinton put down the teleprompters and let the conversations flow naturally. Each week, they bring in fellow Farm Journal hosts and editors and friends to share behind-the-scenes insights on the stories we’ve covered, giving you a chance to meet the personalities behind the personalities.
