Florida farmers bracing for latest cold snap after they saw $3 billion in losses due to January frost
PLANT CITY, Fla. - Florida farmers are preparing for a second freeze of the season that could make an already difficult year even worse.
Local perspective:
Gary Parke of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City said they lost 15% of their crop in the January frosts, but the jury is still out on how bad the February freeze could be. With forecasts pinning the coldest temperatures at right around freezing several nights in a row, Parke's team may have to turn on the water to protect what's about to bud.
READ: Florida citrus growers fear another freeze after statewide crop losses
"The last freeze took a week or two of paychecks away," he said. "Would that hurt anybody else? It hurts me."
By the numbers:
It hurt lots of others, according to a report from Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
With 66 of 67 counties going into freezing temperatures for multiple hours, $3.2 billion of damage was done, with $1.2 billion to sugar, $675 million to citrus and $306 million to strawberries.
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"This was worse than any hurricane that could have hit the state of Florida for Florida farmers," said Simpson. "This is how bad this is."
Dig deeper:
There are a few efforts underway to help the growers. Simpson is pushing the federal government to tack block grants on to aid that has already been approved for hurricanes that hit two years ago.
With farmers plotting next year's fields, new aid could be especially critical to small and medium-sized farmers. It's also possible that an emergency declaration could be made, which would bring additional money in the form of small business loans.
"I hope we hear something from the federal government in the next few months that, yes, you will be receiving an appropriation to where we could get it in the hands of these farmers well before the end of the year," said Simpson.
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What's next:
But, it's not all bleak because plants naturally produce sugar when it gets cold to protect the fruit. This year's Strawberry Fest in Plant City promises to be a sweet one.
"The bad is you're probably going to lose a little bit of money," said Parke. "The good is the sugar content and all the strawberries are going to be higher so they gonna taste better."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered during an interview with Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and a state report on crop damage from January's freeze. It also includes an interview with Gary Park of Parkesdale Farms.