October 1, 2024

By Gerelyn Terzo, Global AgInvesting Media

As Hurricane Helene unleashed its wrath throughout the Southeastern U.S. in recent days, the American farming community was caught right in the middle of the devastation. The damage was widespread, reaching from Florida’s Gulf Coast to Georgia, Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and beyond. While the losses are still being assessed, Hurricane Helene hit growers and farmers where it hurt the most right at the brink of harvest season for crops like pecans, leaving many reeling for months to come.

In what’s shaping up to be one of the costliest storms in U.S. history, ratings agency Moody’s predicts the country’s total damage and economic loss from the storm to range between $95 billion and $110 billion, as much as $26 billion of which is likely to be property damage.

Stephanie Stuckey, chair of the company famous for its pecan log rolls, shared on social media how the farm’s pecan orchard in middle Georgia was “hit hard” by the storm, saying, “This land has been farmed by my family for almost 100 years; we’ll replant and rise again.” Below is a mini roundup of some of the damage that Hurricane Helene left in its wake throughout America’s farmland.

Florida: While Florida is no stranger to hurricane season, Hurricane Helene packed a powerful punch. Conditions are even worse than those caused by last year’s Hurricane Idalia, which charted a similar course, targeting fields across the state’s Heartland and costing the ag industry a reported $400 million in damages. A Florida lawmaker called the devastation “catastrophic” as it left no stone unturned, reportedly tearing through “cattle, field crops, nurseries, beehives and agriculture processing plants.”

Georgia: In Georgia, farmers were desperately trying to protect their pecan and cotton harvests as the storm barreled toward them. The University of Georgia data show that the Peach State produces 88 million pounds of pecans annually for a crop valued at $400 million, creating a massive export market. Bloomberg reports that the state of Georgia is bracing for $2.5 billion in ag industry losses, also causing chicken processing plants to suspend operations amid vulnerable flocks. Georgia’s Department of Agriculture revealed commodities including cotton, pecans, poultry and timber took the worst hit from the storm.

Not all was lost. A regenerative chicken and cattle farming operation located in Butler, Georgia, dubbed Pasture Bird, was in the direct path of Hurricane Helene. Despite taking 10 inches of rain and wind gusts in excess of 50 MPH in what Pasture Bird Founder Paul Greive called a “multi-decade storm cell,” the farm survived.

Greive in a LinkedIn post described, “The pasture did an incredible job absorbing water, and our ARC structures held up extremely well. Very proud of our team and the system.” Greive went on to give a nod to the farm’s 100 percent off-the-grid solar powered system, emphasizing the importance of having one and saying, “With full battery backup, these birds continue to thrive even when power is down all around us.”

Those who were impacted by Hurricane Helene can find a list of U.S. government resources here. Additionally, dozens of Starlink satellite systems have been deployed to deliver high-speed Internet access to those areas gripped by the storm.

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