Explore the damage Hurricane Irma has caused the Florida Citrus Industry.
Hurricane Irma swept up the state of Florida on the 10th of September, bringing with it a lot of rain, wind, and loss. Florida citrus was hit particularly hard, according to reports coming. According to a Southeast AgNet article, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Florida citrus had suffered serious and devastating losses.” Read what the earliest reports have to say, below.
State-Wide Effects on Florida Citrus
According to the Southeast AgNet article, Putnam gave a prepared statement on Wednesday the 10th after an aerial tour of groves in central and southwest Florida. He said, ““It’s still too early to know the full extent of the damage to Florida citrus, but after touring groves on foot and by air, it’s clear that our signature crop has suffered serious and devastating losses from Hurricane Irma.”
Similarly, the article also maintains U.S. Senator, Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said earlier that same day that he had heard from citrus growers that up to 75% of the early-season crop had been knocked down by the storm.
Reports in Florida Regions
County-wide, reports have not been good. The following reports have come in:
- Highlands County Citrus: A day after Irma came through, Ray Royce, executive director of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association, said in a Citrus Industry article, “Early anecdotal estimates are that half to two-thirds of the crop is on the ground in our area.”
- Peace River Citrus: Steve Smith, executive director of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association, said in a Citrus Industry article, “Some growers are calling in with limited damage with a few pieces of fruit on the ground, and others are saying heavy damage and trees pushed over on the outside edges — some up to 50 percent crop on the ground.”
- Gulf Coast Citrus: Ron Hamel, Gulf Citrus Growers Association executive vice president, said in a Citrus Industry article, “There is quite a bit of fruit on the ground,” but “most of the trees have done pretty well.” He added that, “there were a lot of sized-up Valencias that hit the ground. It was something I wouldn’t have thought, but it’s reality.”
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.