Agriculture is one of the biggest economic contributors to the state of Georgia. Our farmers lead the nation in the production of poultry and eggs and are among the leaders in peanuts, pecans and other important crops. When a major weather disaster hits, agricultural producers are often devastated by the impacts of the event and might spend years recovering from the impacts of the storm, drought or freeze, or they might give up farming altogether and change to another career.
This year, Georgia has been hit by two major hurricanes: Hurricane Debby in early August and Hurricane Helene in late September. Economic impacts to Georgia agriculture from Helene alone have been estimated at $6.46 billion. Both storms moved mainly through rural agricultural land in the eastern half of the state, although they also affected larger communities, including Augusta and Valdosta. But information on the impacts of the storms on farmers has been muted compared with news stories about massive power outages and floods in the western North Carolina mountains and in the larger cities of Georgia. Now it is time to turn our attention to and aid the rural farming communities of the state, which have been slow to receive help as they recover from the storms.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Farmers’ problems with damage and destruction from hurricanes is nothing new, but it has been made worse in recent years by strong storms that have moved over areas where many commodity crops are grown, often close to the time of harvest. Tropical Storm Irma caused damage to many crops and pecan trees as it crossed the southeastern part of the state in 2017. The next year, Hurricane Michael destroyed most of the cotton crop and flattened many pecan orchards and pine plantations with winds at hurricane force most of the way from Bainbridge to Macon. Last year, Hurricane Idalia caused more damage to pecans and other crops. Farmers watched a year’s worth of work, in addition to their homes and businesses, blow away in a few hours.
We can expect more of these intense storms in the future because of climate change, as hurricanes are intensified by increasingly warm water in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Though many farmers carry insurance, it is seldom enough to cover all the losses they experience, so they have to borrow money to replace irrigation pivots, barns and harvesting equipment so they can farm again next year. Many of our farmers are still paying on these loans from Michael and Irma.
This year, Debby and Helene added insult to injury to our farmers. In South Georgia, many are still repairing fences, fields and pivots from Debby, and are now faced with a second round of repairs and insurance paperwork just a few weeks later, thanks to Helene. Even if crops have survived the hurricane winds, farmers often can’t get into the fields with their harvest equipment because of rutted or blocked roads, storm debris mixed with the crops or soggy soil. In many cases, it would cost more to harvest the crop than it is worth to sell it once you include the value of diesel and labor and consider the crop prices. More than 30% of the state cotton crop has been destroyed by the storms, and hundreds of thousands of pecan trees have been toppled by the strong winds. Even if the trees are replanted, it will take at least 10 years before they can produce a large enough crop to be sold commercially. Farmers earn nothing in those years. Erosion and flooding of fields caused damage to peanuts, blueberry bushes, wood lots and vegetable plots as well, resulting in large losses to the farmers who own them. The losses also result in financial hardship for local communities because of the loss of income from taxes on crops that could not be harvested.
Meanwhile, many rural areas in the state have not yet seen power restored and a lot of infrastructure needed for harvest, such as cotton gins and peanut purchasing points, are not operable. They are slowly coming back online, but the crops are ready to be sold now. With nowhere to take them, their quality and value decline, reducing the amount of income farmers can receive. It is not surprising that stress from dealing with the storms has led to negative effects on farmers’ mental health. It is also tragic, but not surprising, that at least 20% of Georgia farmers cannot afford another bad year after 2024 and are considering leaving farming altogether. Who will farm when they are gone?
Many local residents in the communities affected by Debby and Helene have stepped up to help their neighbors repair and recover from the two recent storms, but there is only so much they can do on their own. Many of these local helpers are dealing with their own losses from the hurricanes. Additional funds are needed to help farm families still recovering from damage and long-term losses. Some relief organizations provide resources directly to rural communities, including a program set up by the Georgia Farm Bureau. “Weathered But Strong” accepts monetary donations that will go directly to farm families.
Agriculture and farming are collectively one of the most important and valuable parts of Georgia’s economy. Supporting our local agricultural producers and helping them recover from recent storms will make Georgia stronger by protecting our farm families and keeping our rural areas thriving even in times of devastation.
Pam Knox is an agricultural climatologist in University of Georgia Extension and is the director of the UGA Weather Network. She provides outreach and education on climate and its effects on crops and livestock in the Southeastern United States and also provides weather, climate data and analyses to university scientists and user groups across the region.
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