The following data depicts a summary of preliminary losses suffered by Georgia's agricultural community as a result of Hurricane Helene. Figures should be interpreted as preliminary since the true scale of the damage is not yet fully known.
In total, Hurricane Helene will cost Georgia’s economy at least $5.5 billion in agricultural and timber losses, according to preliminary damage assessments produced in coordination with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the Office of Gov. Brian P. Kemp, the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Forestry Commission. This figure represents the sum of direct crop losses, losses to firms that support agriculture and forestry, losses to workers in those and related industries, as well as likely recovery and restoration costs that firms in these industries will face.
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TERMS DEFINED:
- Direct: Estimates made assuming pre-storm prices
- Indirect and induced: The impact of agricultural and foresty output on other industries in Georgia
- Lost output: Combined direct, indirect and induced impacts
- Replanting, building and equipment: Likely recovery and replanting costs, as well as damage to buildings and equipment
- Economic losses: Combined lost output and other costs
2024 ECONOMIC LOSSES ON GEORGIA AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
| DIRECT | INDIRECT | INDUCED | LOST OUTPUT | REPLANTING, BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT | ECONOMIC LOSSES | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGRICULTURAL CROP | ||||||
| COTTON |
351 | 96 | 113 | 560 | - | 560 |
| TOBACCO | - | - | - | - | 4 | 4 |
| PECANS | 62 | 9 | 26 | 97 | 194 | 291 |
| PEANUTS | 40 | 16 | 15 | 71 | - | 71 |
| VEGETABLES | 122 | 40 | 47 | 209 | - | 209 |
| CITRUS | 12 | 1 | 5 | 18 | - | 18 |
| BLUEBERRIES | - | - | - | - | 44 | 44 |
| SOYBEANS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | - | 5 |
| NURSERY CROPS | 315 | 112 | 99 | 526 | 51 | 577 |
| POULTRY | 194 | 148 | 35 | 377 | 306 | 683 |
| BEEF CATTLE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 275 | 275 |
| DAIRY | 100 | 63 | 25 | 188 | - | 188 |
| FORESTRY | ||||||
| PINE TIMBER | 729 | 202 | 574 | 1,505 | - | 1,505 |
| HARDWOOD TIMBER | 556 | 154 | 438 | 1,148 | - | 1,148 |
| TOTAL | 2,484 | 843 | 1,379 | 4,706 | 874 | 5,579 |
Missing values in the table should be interpreted as a lack of information rather than assigned a value of zero.
Source: The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and Georgia Forestry Commission estimates; IMPLAN.
COTTON
The latest farm gate value for cotton in Georgia is $1,311,533,294, which represents 7.15% of the total farm gate value of the state. Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to the 2024 crop, with a projected loss of about 32.6% of the crop, or 500,000 to 600,000 bales lost overall.
TOBACCO
The latest farm gate value for tobacco in Georgia is $33,995,068, which represents 0.19% of the total farm gate value of the state. Georgia tobacco producers were heavily impacted by Hurricane Debby, which caused widespread flooding across tobacco-producing areas in early August 2024. As a result, tobacco producers lost approximately 45% of their crops before Hurricane Helene impacted the area. Helene caused significant damage to tobacco curing barns and greenhouses in the area.
PECANS
The latest farm gate value for pecans in Georgia is $400,790,725, which represents 2.19% of the total farm gate value of the state. A significant number of pecan trees have been completely uprooted and blown over. Pecan trees must reach 7 years old before growers begin to see productivity, so future income losses encompass the cost of replanting and caring for trees for the next seven years while growers wait for trees to reach productive maturity.
PEANUTS
The latest farm gate value for peanuts in Georgia is $790,820,291, which represents 4.31% of the total farm gate value of the state. Although much of our state’s peanuts had not yet been harvested and remained in the ground when Hurricane Helene hit, power was quickly restored to buying points so that growers could harvest their crops in a timely manner.
VEGETABLES
The latest farm gate value for vegetables in Georgia is $1,305,083,700, which represents 7.1% of the total farm gate value of the state. Hurricane Helene most heavily impacted the current fall crop, including cucumbers, zucchini and squash, as well as onion seed beds. Of the fall crop, which represents 35% of the total farm gate value for vegetables in Georgia, there is an anticipated loss of approximately 25-30% of the year’s crop.
CITRUS
The latest farm gate value for citrus in Georgia is $22,399,571, which represents 0.12% of the total farm gate value of the state. 2024 promised to be a record year for the Georgia citrus industry, with many young trees producing their first crop and others producing their first large crop since 2022’s freeze. As a rapidly growing industry in Georgia, Hurricane Helene damage will impact Georgia citrus’ ability to produce the crop expected in 2024.
BLUEBERRIES
The latest farm gate value for blueberries in Georgia is $449,363,632, which represents 2.45% of the total farm gate value of the state. There was no actual fruit loss as a result of the storm, but many plants were severely damaged or completely pulled out of the ground. The majority of the losses for the blueberry industry are a result of replanting costs.
SOYBEANS
The latest farm gate value for soybeans in Georgia is $103,229,081, which represents 0.56% of the total farm gate value of the state. Winds from Hurricane Helene had varying effects on the crops, blowing over some of the taller plants and tangling up some of the shorter ones.
NURSERY CROPS
The latest farm gate value for greenhouse, field and container nurseries in Georgia is a combined $1,083,715,473, which is 5.91% of the total farm gate value of the state. Hurricane Helene caused significant infrastructure damage to Georgia’s nursery industry. Along with irrigation systems and other critical infrastructure, many greenhouses were either destroyed or severely damaged, forcing some growers to sell plants on short notice to avoid further losses.
POULTRY
Poultry is the leading agricultural commodity in Georgia, accounting for more than 1/3 of the total farm gate value of the state. The poultry industry saw major losses due to Hurricane Helene, with hundreds of houses that were either destroyed or must be repaired before they can be used. Some of these houses were filled with chickens, meaning the loss of animal life and costs associated with depopulation and disposal are significant. Further, income losses due to houses being unavailable for continued production are included in our loss figures and contribute significantly to overall losses incurred.
BEEF CATTLE
The latest farm gate value for beef cattle in Georgia is $729,973,522, which represents 3.98% of the total farm gate value of the state. Although there was little loss of animal life across the affected area, there was significant damage to fencing and other infrastructure. Producers were managing herds on much smaller acreage, which increased feed costs, and many were forced to truck in water for their cattle due to the loss of power to electric wells.
DAIRY
The latest farm gate value for dairy cattle in Georgia is $378,370,162, which represents 2.06% of the total farm gate value of the state. The majority of losses in the dairy industry were in infrastructure and feed loss. With many dairy barns and milking facilities damaged by the winds and fallen trees, producers are also facing issues with damage to silage pits and loss of milk production due to disrupted feed and water access.
TIMBER
The TreeS-DIP map showed that 8,931,000 acres of forestland was located in Hurricane Helene's path with 1,470,000 acres receiving the majority of timber damage from the storm. Of the 8,931,000 total acres traversed, Helene caused a total timber resource impact of $1,28 billion in Georgia. More information on timber losses is available in a subsequent table. More information is available in the full Timber Damage Assessment published by the Georgia Forestry Commission in collaboration with the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources on Nov. 5, 2024.
