According to a UF/IFAS report released Thursday, Florida suffered production losses ranging from $93.7 million to $263.2 million due to Hurricane Debby.
The preliminary UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) was based on surveys of producers. Hurricane Debby, a Category 1 storm that made landfall near Steinhatchee on August 5, affected over 2.2 million acres of cropland, 68% of which was used for pasture.
By comparison, Hurricane Idalia, a Category 3 storm that hit Florida in August 2023 and devastated 3.5 million acres, caused $276 million in agricultural production losses.
Highlights
- UF/IFAS’ Economic Impact Analysis program rapidly assesses the impacts of extreme weather events on Florida agriculture. The preliminary report on Hurricane Debby was recently released.
- The report estimates losses in the range of $93.7 million to $263.2 million. This range will be narrowed in a final report to be released in the next few months.
- The estimate takes into account the value of shellfish farming, but not the value of damage to stored agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and feed, stored crops or infrastructure.
“Hurricane Debby’s path through the state was largely similar to that of Hurricane Idalia, but no two storms are the same,” said Christa Court, UF/IFAS EIAP director, in a press release. “While Idalia brought stronger winds, Debby was a wetter storm that flooded more agricultural land.”
The counties that suffered the most from Hurricane Debby were Suwannee, Dixie, Lafayette and Taylor, but heavy rains and tropical storm force force also extended as far south as Lee County, according to the report. Parts of northern and southwest Florida, including Sarasota, Manatee and Suwanee counties, experienced over 15 inches of rain from August 2-8.
The report shows that 2.1% of the affected agricultural land was affected by extreme weather conditions, 56.3% by moderately intense weather conditions and 41.6% by mild weather conditions.
The estimated production losses for the marketing or current growing season for selected commodity groups include:
- Animals and animal products: $41.1 million to $98.5 million.
- Field and row crops: $19.3 million to $53.1 million.
- Greenhouse/Nursery: $15.0 million to $53.6 million.
The production loss is estimated based on survey results specific to Hurricane Debby as well as observations of past events, and the percentage losses can vary widely between operations – even within the same commodity group, Court said in the press release.
“In the first days and weeks after a hurricane, many farms are unsure of the true magnitude of the event’s impact on their crop operations,” she said. “In addition, many crops in the vegetable, melon and potato group were out of season or not yet planted, and many farmers who experienced no or minimal impacts on their operations do not report this information. We will continue to collect specific information on Hurricane Debby, which will improve the accuracy of these estimates in our final report.”
The UF/IFAS EIAP report relies heavily on survey responses from agricultural producers. The results collected are intended not only to improve public understanding of the economic importance of agriculture, but also to strengthen agricultural resilience by informing emergency planning exercises, disaster relief and response, and policy discussions.
The UF/IFAS EIAP will continue to collect data on Hurricane Debby through 2025 via the Tool for assessing losses and damages to Florida agriculture from hazard/disaster events. Information provided will be used in the program’s final storm report expected in late 2024.
