Georgia agricultural and forestry damage from Hurricane Helene estimated at $6.46 billion

A ground level view of cotton plants. Much of the cotton is on the ground as a result of a significant weather event. — Hurricane Helene hit just before harvest for cotton crops, causing a loss of 500,000-600,000 bales of Georgia cotton and delivering a $207 million to $220 million economic hit to Georgia’s economy. Photo courtesy of Southeast AgNet.

Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County

Based on preliminary damage assessments conducted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the Georgia Forestry Commission, and the University of Georgia, Hurricane Helene left behind an estimated $6.46 billion in damage to Georgia’s agriculture and forestry industries, more than three times the damage from Hurricane Michael in 2018.

Georgia’s largest industry, agriculture contributes over $83 billion annually to the state economy, employs more than 320,000 people, and supports numerous other industries, including manufacturing, transportation, and retail markets. The preliminary damage estimates for Hurricane Helene represent direct crop losses, losses to businesses and workers that support agriculture and forestry related industries, as well as anticipated recovery and restoration costs to affected agricultural producers.

Trail of damage

Thick fluffy clouds and blue sky over the scene of demolished chicken houses as a result of a severe weather event. — These poultry houses in Coffee County and more than 100 more in Southeast Georgia were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene. It will take months or years to rebuild and recover. Photo by Angie O’Steen, Georgia Farm Bureau.

University of Georgia Professor of Horticulture and Extension Horticulture Specialist for Pecans Lenny Wells and UGA Extension Southeast Georgia Area Pecan Agent Andrew Sawyer have been traveling around Southeast Georgia counties for the past week assessing damage to pecan orchards.

In his September 29, 2024, blog post, Wells wrote that traveling into or out of many counties required a chainsaw or other equipment to clear a path. As with Hurricane Michael, Helene blew down, broke, and uprooted mature, bearing pecan trees as well as younger ones.

After his week of travel, Wells estimated that the damage stretches for 260 miles north-northeast from Brooks and Lowndes counties and accounts for approximately 1/3 of Georgia’s pecan production area. Winds in the corridor of destruction ranged from 82-109 miles per hour. Using satellite and drone images and ground-level assessments, Wells, Sawyer, and other specialists estimate a 75% crop loss in the area, or more than 36 million pounds of pecans.

An image of the southeast and the areas by county which lost power due to Hurricane Helene. — Power outages in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene created secondary losses for the poultry and peanut production. Image from American Farm Bureau Federation.

The hurricane hit just at harvest time for cotton crops, Georgia’s #2 commodity. The wind flattened fields, stripped cotton from the plants, and lowered the quality of surviving bolls. As of October 10, it’s estimated that 500,000-600,000 bales of cotton were lost with an economic impact of $207 million to $220 million.

It’s also harvest time for peanuts, Georgia’s #3 commodity. While peanut crops suffered less from wind damage, secondary complications, including loss of harvesting equipment, power outages that hamper the peanut drying process, damage to peanut buying facilities, and transportation difficulties, are still issues. As of October 10, 18 peanut buying points remained without power.

An aerial view of a grove of pecan trees which were broken off at ground level due to a significant weather event. — UGA Extension Southeast Georgia Area Pecan Agent Andrew Sawyer used drones to help assess pecan tree losses after Hurricane Helene. Many, like this orchard in Toombs County, suffered 70% losses of mature, bearing trees. Photo by Andrew Sawyer, UGA Extension.

Over 100 poultry houses were damaged or destroyed. Power outages caused chick, egg, and bird losses, and floodwaters contaminated feed and water supplies. Rebuilding infrastructure and poultry populations will take time and resources, and we can expect to see lower inventories of poultry products in grocery stores. Poultry is Georgia’s #1 commodity, constituting 36.4% of our agricultural industry.

The October 11, 2024, situation report from the Georgia Department of agriculture stated that 179 agricultural food production and handling businesses reported damages, including roof leaks, water leaks, crop damage, and flooding, with $5 million in food products lost or damaged.

Georgia is the number one forestry state in the U.S., but the 60-100 mile per hour winds that raged from Valdosta to Augusta took a heavy toll, mostly on privately owned timber lands. The latest timber loss estimates from the Georgia Forestry Commission and the UGA Warnell School of Forestry state 8.8 million acres of timber were ravaged. The impact on Georgia’s #5 commodity, timber, is expected to be $1.28 billion.

Path to recovery

Clean-up is underway in some Georgia counties, while other still need basic supplies. In addition to crop losses, many farmers suffered damage to their homes. Power outages remain widespread, and schools are still closed in several counties.

To help our farmers and agriculture industry recover, 40-plus agriculture industry organizations have banded together to create the Weathered But Strong: Georgia Hurricane Relief Fund, led by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Farm Bureau, and Georgia Foundation for Agriculture. One hundred percent of donations to the fund will go to help Georgia farmers recover from Hurricane Helene. For more information, visit https://www.gfb.org/hurricane-relief.