University of Florida IFAS economists estimate more than $40M in Hurricane Helene agriculture losses

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Economists with the University of Florida estimate Florida farmers lost between $40.3 million and $162.2 million due to Hurricane Helene. The preliminary report was released Tuesday.

The UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) collects information on agricultural losses and damages caused by Tropical cyclones.

The researchers determined more than 6 million acres of agricultural land were affected by Hurricane Helene, most of which was grazing land.

The estimated range of annual production losses for the current growing or marketing season include:

• Field and row crops: $12.8 million to $48.2 million
• Animals and animal products: $11.8 million to $44.4 million
• Vegetables, melons and potatoes: $10.5 million and $38.2 million

Hurricane Helene made landfall south of Perry as a Category 4, just weeks after Hurricane Debby, a Category 1 storm, impacted the same region. Debby resulted in losses of about $170 million, according to a soon-to-be released final report from the EIAP.

“Debby, despite being a weaker storm in terms of wind, resulted in greater agricultural losses than Helene due to heavier rainfall and more extensive flooding, some of which affected areas that grow or raise higher-value products,” said Xiaohui Qiao, EIAP research assistant professor.

Milton, the third hurricane to strike Florida in 2024, made landfall on Oct. 9 near Siesta Key. IFAS researchers are still working on an agricultural loss report.

“Helene made landfall only eight weeks after Hurricane Debby, in the same region of the state, and we had to modify our methods to ensure that we were not double counting and overestimating production losses,” said Christa Court, UF/IFAS EIAP director. “Hurricane Milton, which made landfall just under two weeks after Helene and was associated with an outbreak of tornadic activity, has resulted in additional complications that we are now managing in our assessment of that event.”

Report impacts from Hurricane Helene and access the economists’ preliminary report on the EIAP website.

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