Maryland bridge collapse could affect agriculture

NBC News’ Rob Wile and Shannon Pettypiece reported Tuesday that “customers from the East Coast to the Midwest who were expecting goods shipped in via the Port of Baltimore could see significant cost increases as a result of Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore” that has blocked access for ships to the port. “Baltimore is the largest entry point in the U.S. for large agriculture and construction equipment like tractors, farming combines, forklifts, bulldozers and heavy-duty trucks that are bound for the Midwest, according to DAT Freight and Analytics, a freight-exchange service,” Wile and Pettypiece wrote. “Any disruption to agriculture and construction equipment shipments would come at a particularly bad time as Midwest farmers have begun to plant this year’s crops, while construction picks up in colder climates as the ground begins to thaw, said Dean Croke, principal analyst with DAT.” Lancaster Farming’s Philip Gruber reported Tuesday that while there could be a disruption moving forward for farm machinery, “dealerships are well stocked these days, with manufacturers having overcome the pandemic’s supply chain problems,” Gruber reported. “As a result, the port blockage may have little effect on equipment inventory in the short term. But the longer it takes for Baltimore to recover, the greater the risk that inventories will draw down and prices will rise.”