TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WWSB) – Two cold weather events in January may have cost Florida’s farmers more than $3.1 billion in damages, the state Department of Agriculture said Monday.
“Our preliminary estimate of over $3 billion in agricultural losses makes clear what we already knew: This was one of the most damaging freeze events for Florida agriculture in history,” Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said is a news release.
The only county in Florida not reporting freeze damage was Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys.
Strawberries and blueberries took huge hits, with production losses reported at about 80% of the remaining strawberry harvest, and 90% of the blueberry crop.
Estimated losses include:
Tomatoes: $164,273,849Strawberries: $306,965,897Watermelons $65,437,343Sweet Corn: $255,363,251Sugarcane: $1,152,122,146Bell Peppers: $108,380,389Potatoes: $79,065,000Cabbage: $21,800,280Squash: $24,522,275Blueberries: $78,512,400Greenhouse and Nursery: $240,000,000Citrus: $674,660,336
These estimates draw on data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Florida Census of Agriculture, USDA Market News, UF-IFAS Preliminary Freeze Event Assessment, early survey and early communication between FDACS, industry leaders, and individual producers who are currently engaged in large-scale recovery efforts, the state Department of Agriculture said.
Read the preliminary report here:
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