Hurricane Isaac threatens Louisiana corn harvest

Hurricane Isaac, which made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 28, will likely damage the state's corn, soybean and cotton crops, according to reports.
Barges have been carrying light loads due to the Midwest drought, which has lowered the Mississippi River water level and slowed shipping and the harvest. As a result, farmers struggled to get their corn, still in the fields, in before the storm came. "Everyone who has somewhere to put corn is out cutting it," said cotton and feed grain specialist John Kruse.
The majority of soybeans and cotton weren't ready to harvest. Farmers may have managed to get 30 to 35 percent of their crops harvested by the time to storm hit, said Ronnie Levy, Louisiana State University AgCenter soybean specialist.