This derecho barreled through several states across the nation’s heartland, but most of the crop damage happened in Iowa, where wind gusts exceeded 100 mph. As many as 14 million acres of farmland were damaged by the storm, according to estimates from various state officials. The hardest-hit counties, 36 of them, included early estimates of 3.6 million acres of corn and 2.5 million acres of soybeans lost.
One executive told FreightWaves that he doesn’t expect to see much loss of yields and production in overall crops across the Corn Belt. He said beans are pretty hearty and can take a beating. However, the situation with corn is different.
“Some farmers may still be able to go in and get 60-70% of the volume, but overall the yield is already made with these crops so it’s just a matter if they can get it out of the field,” he said.