UF/IFAS Facilities Rebuild from Hurricane Idalia with Help from Volunteers, Emergency Response Crews

Jim Rogers Florida

When Hurricane Idalia barreled through the Big Bend region of Florida, Mike Allen was stuck in Gainesville, watching a beloved facility get slammed by storm surge while The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore reported from the facility’s second-story patio. Once the rain stopped and the wind subsided after the storm rushed through on Aug. 30, University of Florida Institute of Food …

In Comparison: Hurricane Idalia Financial Impact Less Than Ian, Irma

Jim Rogers Florida, Weather

By Clint Thompson Hurricane Idalia’s financial impact on Florida is less than similar storms that have impacted the state; like Irma (2017) and Ian (2022). But that does not lessen the toll felt by specialty crop producers when the storm moved through North Florida a little less than a month ago. Christa Court, assistant professor in the food and resource …

Commissioner Simpson Announces Cost-Share Assistance for Producers Impacted by Hurricane Idalia

Jim Rogers Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced last week a cost-share assistance program to support producers severely impacted by Hurricane Idalia. The cost-share assistance program will be administered though the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy and will support growers in repairing or replacing damaged irrigation systems, while simultaneously promoting agricultural …

Hurricane Idalia: UF Economists Estimate Florida Agricultural Production Losses Top $78M

Jim Rogers Florida, Weather

Early reports from agricultural operations in Florida’s Big Bend region indicate production losses caused by Hurricane Idalia fall in an estimated range of $78.8 million to $370.9 million, according to University of Florida (UF) economists. An estimated 3 million acres of agricultural lands were in the storm’s path, including row crops like peanuts and cotton, dairy and poultry farms, aquaculture …

Survey Says: Florida Producers Encouraged to Share Hurricane Idalia Impacts

Clint Thompson Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Idalia made landfall the morning of Aug. 30 near Keaton Beach, Florida, but the Category 3 storm’s northeastern route brought rain and high winds to coastal regions along the western peninsula and inland agricultural counties. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) uses surveys after natural disasters, …

Hurricane Idalia Aftermath: North Florida Infrastructure Impacted Significantly

Jim Rogers Florida

By Clint Thompson North Florida agricultural leaders are still assessing damage left by Hurricane Idalia last week. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) regional specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, provided an overview of what happened to the crops in the field and infrastructure on farms and in the different communities impacted by …

Strawberry Farmer Testimonial: Hurricane Idalia Impact Not as Bad as Planting Season Looms

Jim Rogers Florida, Strawberry

By Clint Thompson Matt Parke’s anxiousness paid off this summer in preparing for the upcoming strawberry planting season. Instead of waiting to apply plastic, the farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, decided to apply it early. Since that part of the state avoided the brunt of Hurricane Idalia last week, the move paid off and all the …

Rep. Kat Cammack, Sen. Rick Scott Tour Impacts of Major Hurricane Idalia in Levy County

Jim Rogers Florida

CEDAR KEY, FL – Florida Representative Kat Cammack joined Senator Rick Scott, Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum, Cedar Key Police Chief Edwin Jenkins, and Cedar Key Mayor Heath Davis to tour impacts of Hurricane Idalia in Levy County on Friday and received an update on response and recovery efforts. Rep. Cammack and Senator Scott have traveled to impacted areas following …