Damaged cotton field in the Wiregrass area of Alabama after taking a beating during Hurricane Michael. Source: Alabama Farmers Federation

Agricultural damage from Hurricane Michael's rampage last week across Georgia, Alabama and Florida is forecast to top $1.3 billion, with pecan and cotton farms the hardest hit as well as the region's poultry operations, according to officials. "Hurricane and cotton is like oil and water — it just doesn't mix at all," said William Birdsong, an agronomist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University in Headland. He estimated the loss to Alabama cotton crops could total just over $100 million and said the price of cotton could increase given damage also is in nearby production centers, including Georgia. In Georgia alone, the latest farm-related damage estimate from the storm is $1.2 billion, and in Florida another $100 million to $200 million, according to agricultural economist Jeffrey Dorfman at the University of Georgia in Athens, who calculated damage in the region. This marked the third straight year that Georgia pecan growers have suffered from damage due to hurricanes. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melanie Trump toured areas stricken by Hurricane Michael in Florida and Georgia on Monday. Trump tweeted Monday after arriving in Florida that he was "thinking about our GREAT Alabama farmers and our many friends in North and South Carolina today. We are with you!" https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1051861686842474496 Last month, Hurricane Florence caused widespread devastation in the Carolinas, including significant losses to crops and to poultry and swine operations. "Having seen firsthand some of the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Michael, I know that farmers will need all the help they can get to recover," Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement. "In addition to crop insurance, USDA has a variety of programs to assist producers."

Cotton, pecan losses

As a result of Hurricane Michael's high winds and heavy rains, Dorfman estimates losses of $300 million on the Georgia cotton crop as well as over $600 million in losses to pecans. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 caused the loss of about one-third of Georgia's pecan crop. Only about 15 percent of Georgia's cotton crop was harvested before last week's Category 4 hurricane struck the region. Cotton is the top crop in terms of production value in Georgia, followed by peanuts and pecans, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures. "We lost most of this year's (pecan) crop plus tens of thousands of acres of orchards that will take a decade to replace," Dorfman said in an email. USDA figures show Georgia had about 120,000 acres of pecans planted last year. Peanuts, vegetable-growing operations and pine plantations in Georgia were also damaged. About 30 percent of the vegetables were harvested before the hurricane and approximately half of the peanut crop.

Poultry farm impacts

Dorfman said "nearly 100 chicken houses" were confirmed destroyed in Georgia, but he didn't have a dollar figure on livestock losses. The Georgia Department of Agriculture estimated more than 2 million chickens were lost. It estimated the poultry industry contributes about $23 billion to the state's economy. Strong winds exceeding 120 mph tore through some areas of Georgia, causing some chicken houses to topple. Heavy rains also contributed to the damage. "Florida losses in agriculture are much smaller," Dorfman added, explaining that "there was less farmland in the path." Even so, he estimated the Sunshine State suffered between $100 million and $200 million, reflecting in part significant losses in pine plantations in Florida.

Florida timber losses

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam last week indicated at least 3 million acres of timber were damaged by the hurricane along with other commodities, including peanuts, cotton and tomatoes as well as dairy, poultry and aquaculture. Despite damage to trees, some of the lumber felled by the storm could potentially be salvaged to help in the rebuilding. It could take years for the industry to recover and renew lost trees. "We'll continue to do everything we can to help Florida agriculture recover from this catastrophic hurricane," Putnam said in a release.

Alabama damage