Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Panama Canal, Black Sea, and Suez Canal may seem irrelevant. But these maritime chokepoints link worldwide transportation arteries essential to Mississippi industries like poultry, farming, manufacturing, and logistics. Disruptions there impact what we pay here for groceries, fuel, feed, and more.
The Iran-US battle fight over the Strait of Hormuz continues to spark repeated eruptions in diesel and gasoline prices. Mississippi farmers and truckers felt these immediately. Each extra dollar per gallon ups costs for planting, harvesting, hauling grain, and delivering feed. Natural-gas-based fertilizer price increases have driven up costs for row crops and feed costs for poultry and livestock.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, commercial traffic in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov largely halted as vessels got stranded and war-risk insurance premiums surged. The conflict has disrupted exports of wheat, corn, and sunflower oil, pushed up bunker fuel demand and freight rates, and inflated war-risk insurance premiums and security costs. Resulting price volatility rippled across Europe, Asia, and Africa and into U.S. commodity markets.
Houthi rebels in Yemen has warned shipowners against calling at Saudi Arabia’s ports. Along with recent attacks on ships, this is causing disruptions in Suez Canal traffic, raising global container rates and insurance costs. While Mississippi producers do not directly ship through Suez, higher ocean freight costs feed into the price of imported machinery, equipment parts, and consumer goods that arrive at Gulf and East Coast ports before moving inland. Over time, these costs show up in household budgets and business balance sheets alike.
Compounding these issues are recent delays in Panama Canal transits. The above conflicts shifted a noticeable share of global shipping through the canal. Now, El Niño driven droughts have lowered mid-point water levels and forced Panama to cap daily ship transits, causing delays and costly product rerouting. For poultry growers already squeezed by thin margins, higher refrigerated container rates and longer transits mean lower payments and tighter contracts. For row‑crop farmers, delayed and costlier shipments can erase price advantages against competitors in Brazil and Argentina.
For Mississippians, these are not meaningless issues. They inflate food and fuel prices, deflate farm income, and disrupt jobs at processing plants, farms, ports, and warehouses.
Watching our political leaders deal with this has been bewildering. Instead of using their power to suppress the wars behind these conflicts, they offer farmers and producers deficit-busting subsidies and tax breaks to ease their pain while telling consumers to suck it up.
“The righteous and the wicked God will judge, because there is a right time for every intention and for every action” – Ecclesiastes 3:17.
Crawford is an author and syndicated columnist from North Jackson.
17 comments:
Does Bill pay to have this drivel posted here? It's partisan gobblygook and just amateurish.
This is what happens when you have regards in charge with three shared brain cells amongst the group with no ability to see what happens when “bomb you into oblivion” doesn’t work. But hey, none of the three dudes that want to play women’s sports are playing. Still not tired of winning (or paying more for gas and everything else for no reason).
Underlines the importance of our agriculture, energy & manufacturing in the US.
What helium shortage doing?
Elections have consequences, and we ain’t even halfway through this one.
While we are neutering Iran it's time to wipeout the Houthi's, too. The only thing that these bad actors understand is a brutal takedown. As far as the ocean freight carriers, it seems that all are taking full advantage of regional supply issues to roll containers and charge surcharges globally. Same for the refineries (aka, never let a crisis go to waste when you can profit from it).
@1:26pm - Oh, so we’re world police again? With our tax dollars? What happened to America First?
Leaders and militaries that are winning don’t constantly beg for ceasefires and MOUs like Trump and Kegseth.
As much tech as we've given the Saudis over the last 50 years, they should be able to finish the Houthi rebels in Yemen in about two weeks.
(Provided the Saudis are serious).
The problem is that so far no one has been able to take them down. Seems like you kill one you create 3 more.
2:41, pick a side. You want war or not? We bomb Iran, you mad. We stop bombing Iran, you mad. Since you are an apparent expert in military and presidential strategy, do tell us what would you do to ensure Iran has no nuclear weapons? Ask them nicely and give them money like the last administration?
@2:06 - Come on. You aren't that dumb (you know its spelled with a 'b', I'm sure - although I hear most people don't know that). America First was just one of many lies that came out of the 2016, 2020 and more importantly the 2024 election campaign from the MAGA crowd.
Could tell right away that it meant nothing with the immediate push to claim renaming of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. For 250 years, we (the USA) have based our military posture on being defensive, protecting our mainland, and going to war only when provoked or helping defend our allies.
Now - the folks in charge think they have all these fun little toys that they want to explode and renamed themselves as being in charge of WAR. America First??? No, we want to be in charge of the world; take over a country and take its natural resources; take over another and control its geographic boundaries and charge tolls for their use. Only thing is, we aren't capable of doing that and now don't know how to get out of it other than to claim a new victory settlement every other day.
America First? Keep believing that if you want; that's not what this bunch really meant. They meant "Trump First' and "Trump everywhere' as long as they are in control.
Throughout his campaigns for president, Trump has repeatedly criticized the U.S.’s involvement in lengthy military action in Middle Eastern countries, including lambasting former President George W. Bush for the war in Iraq during a 2016 GOP debate.
While campaigning in Pennsylvania in 2024, Trump told rallygoers: “I will not send you to fight and die in stupid foreign wars that never end.” He reiterated the promise in his 2024 victory speech, stating at the time: “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.”
And Trump’s official White House biography also states that one of the president’s top priorities is “putting a stop to endless wars.”
Trump on Sunday denied that the U.S. is at war with Iran, telling Welker he does not “consider” the current situation a war.
“I don’t define it at all. I don’t think about it. I just do what I have to do,” he said.
@11:02 - I have been trying to figure that out for years. It appears Sid the Wordy and Crawfish are paid for their drivel but the Fat Pie People have to pay to have theirs posted…. Weird times we are living in….
Starter homes are unaffordable for many due to the inflation (50% to 100% in our area) while Biden was in office without one complaint that I can remember from Trump Deranged Bill Crawford. So, just more Democrat Crime Party selective outrage with this latest piece of Crawford’s.
As for Iran, time will tell whether war now was the right move but one thing is certain, just like with Al Qaeda and ISIS, the only thing those Twelver Shiism Iranians will understand is DEATH.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:8
Not if your borders are closed and you are self reliant. Anyway, there will be no administration that can save us from what is coming folks. They aren't saviors or heroes........and Trump simply has lost the plot (on purp) now that his sons have their drone business up and running. More clown show from duh gubment.
Thank God President Trumps is running the show! Only $40 trillion in debt and they need even more money!! President Donald Justice Trump, while not as frugal as we need, is a true war fighter president! The Iranians are scared shitless of him and of the US army!! God bless America!
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