Hurricane Florence ‘Catastrophic’ for Ag in Carolinas

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimated last week that 3.4 million poultry and 5,500 hogs perished as a result of Hurricane Florence. That’s nearly twice the swine death toll from Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which wiped out 2,800 hogs and 1.8 million birds.

“We know agricultural losses will be significant because the flooding has affected the top six agricultural counties in our state,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said. He characterized the damage as “catastrophic.”

Crop damage estimates for North Carolina should be available this week.

To public health and environmental advocates, the most worrisome figures are the number of bacteria-filled manure lagoons that have burst or been inundated by Florence’s floodwaters. An assessment of damage last week found five lagoons were structurally damaged, 17 totally swamped, 21 with spilled contents, and 67 were within inches of overflowing, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality reported.

“Hurricane Florence has been devastating for farmers, their neighbors and water quality, and the effects of this flooding will be felt for a long time,” said Maggie Monast of the Environmental Defense Fund.

The North Carolina Pork Council said the flooded lagoons represent “a small percentage” of the state’s 2,100 hog farms: “While we are dismayed by the release of some liquids from some lagoons, we also understand that what has been released from the farms is the result of a once-in-a-lifetime storm and that the contents are highly diluted with rainwater.”

North Carolina’s state veterinarian says the loss of livestock from Hurricane Florence is minimal, “Ninety-nine percent of the animals in our state of North Carolina under production are healthy and well.”

In South Carolina, Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers has pegged the crop damage at somewhere between $50 million and $330 million. Initial engagement with growers, he said, showed that crops that were closest to harvest suffered the most damage.

“Depending on the crop, the damage ranges from pretty severe to we have to wait and see,” Weathers said, describing the ravaged peanut, cotton and soybean fields he’s seen. Some peanut farmers won’t be able to access their rain-soaked fields with heavy equipment when it’s time to harvest.

Sources: Politico, Brownfield Ag News