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hatrack

(61,012 posts)
Sun Nov 10, 2024, 08:47 AM Nov 10

Helene & Milton Hit Key Ag Sectors In Southeastern States; Shortages, Price Spikes In Poultry, Seafood, Veggies Coming

EDIT

Helene dismantled farming operations that serve as linchpins for the nation’s food supply chain. Cataclysmic winds destroyed hundreds of poultry houses across Georgia and North Carolina, which account for more than 25 percent of the machinery used to produce most of the country’s chicken meat. An analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation found that the region hit by Helene produced some $6.3 billion in poultry products in 2022, with over 80 percent of it coming from the most severely impacted parts of both states. In Florida, the storm flattened roughly one in seven broiler houses, which the Farm Bureau noted, compounding losses throughout the region that “will not only reduce the immediate supply of poultry but also hinder local production capacity for months or even years.”

The storm uprooted groves, vegetable fields, and row crops throughout the region. Georgia produces more than a third of the nation’s pecans, and some growers have lost all of their trees. Farmers in Florida, one of the nation’s leading producers of oranges, bell peppers, sugar, and orchids, also have reported steep production losses, facing an uncertain future. The rain and floods unleashed by Helene hobbled livestock operations in every affected state, with the situation in western North Carolina so dire that local agricultural officials are crowdfunding feed and other supplies to help ranchers who lost their hay to rising water. Those working the sea were impacted as well; clam farmers along the Gulf Coast are grappling with the losses they incurred when Helene’s storm surge ravaged their stocks.

All told, the counties affected by Helene produce about $14.8 billion in crops and livestock each year, with Georgia and Florida accounting for more than half of that. If even one-third of that output has been lost to the two hurricanes, the loss could reach nearly $5 billion, according to the Farm Bureau. Preliminary estimates from the Department of Agriculture suggest the one-two punch may incur more than $7 billion in crop insurance payouts. On October 15, the USDA reported allocating $233 million in payments to producers so far.

As bad as it is, it could have been worse both for consumers and for farmers nationwide. Florida is home to the highest concentration of fertilizer manufacturing plants in the nation. Twenty-two of the state’s 25 phosphate waste piles, several owned by industry powerhouse Mosaic, were in Milton’s path. The company, which did not respond to a request for comment, shuttered operations ahead of the storm, and has since announced it sustained “limited damage” to its plants and warehouses. (But the Tampa Bay Times reported that one facility was grappling with water intrusion following Helene and was inundated during Milton, likely sending water polluted with phosphate waste flowing into Tampa Bay.) The storm also halted operations for several days at Port Tampa Bay, which handles around a quarter of the country’s fertilizer exports.

Production impacts from both hurricanes may be felt most acutely by the Sunshine State’s struggling citrus industry, which has long been embattled by diseases and destructive hurricanes. Any additional losses could further inflate costs for goods like orange juice, which reached record highs this year, according to Lee, the agricultural economist. “In the face of hurricane shocks, agricultural production in southern states like Florida will take it on the chin,” he said.

EDIT

https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/helene-and-milton-upended-a-key-part-of-the-nations-food-supply/

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Helene & Milton Hit Key Ag Sectors In Southeastern States; Shortages, Price Spikes In Poultry, Seafood, Veggies Coming (Original Post) hatrack Nov 10 OP
Trump will fix it! XanaDUer2 Nov 10 #1
And those crops that do survive won't have anyone to harvest them Ocelot II Nov 10 #2
Becoming Preppers in the Age of Climate Change delisen Nov 10 #3
Gee, do ya think snowybirdie Nov 10 #4

Ocelot II

(121,128 posts)
2. And those crops that do survive won't have anyone to harvest them
Sun Nov 10, 2024, 09:23 AM
Nov 10

when all the immigrant ag workers are deported.

delisen

(6,517 posts)
3. Becoming Preppers in the Age of Climate Change
Sun Nov 10, 2024, 09:28 AM
Nov 10

This Fall/Winter is a great time to learn how to grow nutritious micro greens indoors as well as to plan a small Victory garden to plant in Spring 2025.

A key trait to surviving challenging times a the disruptions tha ensue is the ability to adapt. In World War II on the home front we Americans dealt with food shortages by growing our own food in what we called Victory Gardens.

I am focusing on spending as little as possible on materials and supplies, and hoping to grow enough to share with neighbors if needed.

Also stocking up on nutritious dried bean, which are still inexpensive

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