There were no reports of significant or widespread losses for citrus crops due to August’s Hurricane Debby, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reported recently. But the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program stated in a preliminary assessment of agricultural damages that low-level production losses across a wide swath of citrus acreage could reach $13 million. Those losses would be on citrus land that experienced tropical storm force winds and heavy rainfall/flooding conditions.
The total agricultural production losses Florida experienced due to Hurricane Debby have an estimated value between $93.7 million and $263.2 million, according to the report based on producer surveys. The Category 1 storm made landfall Aug. 5 near Steinhatchee, Florida, and affected more than 2.2 million acres of agricultural lands — 68% of it used for grazing.
The commodity groups that were most affected (in terms of overall acreage impacted) by Hurricane Debby (not including grazing land) were field and row crops, including hay and sugarcane (381,931 acres), citrus (93,492 acres), and vegetables, melons and potatoes (77,522 acres).
Suwannee, Taylor, Lafayette and Dixie counties bore the brunt of Hurricane Debby, but tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain extended as far south as Lee County. Parts of northern and Southwest Florida, including Suwannee, Manatee and Sarasota counties, experienced more than 15 inches of rain between Aug. 2 and Aug. 8.
The UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program will continue to collect data related to Hurricane Debby through 2025 via the Assessment of Losses and Damages to Florida Agriculture from Hazard/Disaster Events tool. The information supplied will be used in the program’s final report on the storm, which is expected by the end of the year.
Source: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
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