The number of weather disasters and their cost to the economy are increasing in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 2022, damages from weather disasters totaled $165.1 billion, compared with $54.1 billion in 2019, NOAA data show. The agricultural sector is particularly susceptible to challenges caused by extreme weather and environmental events such as wildfires, snowstorms or hurricanes. For example, drought has contributed to recent declines in the beef cow inventory, and crop sales in Puerto Rico decreased $82 million after hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Federally declared weather disasters not only affect crop and livestock production, but they also can challenge entities further down the food supply chain, such as meat processors. When an area experiences a disaster, it can be more difficult for a meat processing plant to operate efficiently. For example, it might be harder to transport hogs from farms to processing plants because of poor weather and road conditions. Plant workers might have trouble commuting in severe snowstorms. Environmental disasters, outbreaks of illness and consistent population loss in areas surrounding a packing plant — all of which indirectly impact labor availability — have the potential to reduce or halt production.