If you’ve got livestock that would do best sheltering in the face of Hurricane Irma, look to your northern neighbor Georgia.
Category 5 Hurricane Irma is headed straight for Florida, and coverage of the devastation in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey and memories of past intense storms is putting many Floridians on edge. Citizens can evacuate, but for livestock there’s generally few options. Thanks to generosity from Georgia, Florida ag operators with livestock will have one more option: temporary sheltering facilities in Georgia, according to a Southeast Ag Net article. See details below.
Temporary Sheltering for Florida Livestock
According to the article, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), along with state, federal, and industry partners has been working on finding temporary sheltering facilities for Florida livestock needing a safe haven to weather the pending storm. The GDA has temporarily suspended Animal Interstate Movement Health Requirements for livestock entering the state, though it only applies to animals entering Georgia from Florida. This will allow animals to enter Georgia without the usual and customary paperwork concerning health and ownership. Currently, the entire state of Florida is projected to be hit by Hurricane Irma.
While the GDA is still looking for options, the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, Georgia will serve as an equine evacuation site for horses. Additional sites include Morgan County Ag Center, Heritage Park in Oconee County, and the Georgia International Horse Park. More details can be accessed here.
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.
