hurricane season

Hurricanes Devastate Puerto Rico Agriculture

Dan Industry News Release

Hurricanes Irma and Maria combined destroyed about 80 percent of crops in Puerto Rico. The damage is so heavy that one farmer told the Seattle Times there is “no more agriculture” on the island. Across the island, Maria’s took out entire plantations and destroyed dairy barns and industrial chicken coops. Plantain, banana, and coffee crops were the hardest hit. The …

research

Efforts Continue to Help Georgia Cotton Producers

Dan Cotton, Georgia

While damage to the Georgia cotton crop by Hurricane Irma has topped the news the past couple of weeks, efforts are still underway to help producers deal with the ongoing financial stress. A group representing the cotton industry was in Washington, D.C. recently, and Georgia Cotton Commission Executive Director Richey Seaton explains what was discussed and who they talked with.

d-snap

USDA Approves D-SNAP for Florida Disaster Counties

Dan Florida, Industry News Release

Floridians struggling with the after-effects of Hurricane Irma could be eligible for help buying food through USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said that households who may not normally be eligible under regular SNAP rules may qualify for D-SNAP — if their income is under the disaster limits and they …

Georgia Pecan Crop Hard Hit by Irma

Dan Georgia

When Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was in Georgia late last week surveying damage to crops from Hurricane Irma, one of his stops was Mason Pecan Farms in Fort Valley. While countless numbers of pecans were blown off, there were also many trees on the ground. Both he and Samantha McLeod, executive director of the Georgia Pecan Growers Association, knows that …

rubio

Rubio, Nelson Push for Agriculture Help

Dan Florida, Industry News Release

U.S. Sen Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., want the federal government to quickly approve aid for farmers, small business and communities impacted by Hurricane Irma. In a letter Wednesday to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, the senators asked for “expedited consideration of any disaster declaration and assistance requests.” Irma caused extensive damage to citrus crops …

secretary

Officials Survey Hurricane Damage in Florida

Randall Weiseman Florida, Weather

On September 18, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, Congressman Tom Rooney ad Senator Marco Rubio flew in a helicopter to get an aerial view of farm damage from Hurricane Irma. Described by Rubio as an “agriculture catastrophe,” the storm ravished many Florida crops. Since many Florida vegetables were not in the ground yet, they …

cotton damage

Irma Hits Cotton in Southeast, Especially in Georgia

Dan Cotton, Georgia

After looking at Hurricane Irma’s impact to crops across the Southeast, it is being noted that the storm is going to have a negative impact on cotton. And according to a story from Stephanie Ho, that is especially true in Georgia.     Image: Cotton got hit pretty hard by Hurricane Irma at Watson Farms in Moultrie, GA./Courtesy Sec. Sonny Perdue? @SecretarySonny  Sep 15.