El Nino Changing into La Nina; Agriculture Won’t Benefit From Opening of Cuba

The current El Niño weather pattern could be shifting quickly to the La Niña weather pattern later this year. Meteorologist Kyle Tapley said that weather models “now show full-fledged La Niña conditions by the summer.” Recent weather models show El Niño heading towards a “rapid decay” this spring with the La Niña weather event quickly following. NOAA says the chances of La Niña increase to 40 percent between August and October this year. La Niña typically brings hotter and dryer weather to North America during the summer months.

While the Obama Administration announced a loosening of regulations designed to expand travel and commerce with Cuba, agriculture will not benefit from the announcement. The Administration lifted restrictions on payment and financing terms for exports, but that does not include agriculture and food exports to Cuba, because financing of food and agriculture products is prohibited by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Some agricultural exports are allowed under exceptions from the embargo.