Agricultural production losses in Florida from Hurricane Milton could reach $642.7 million, pushing the state’s potential crop and livestock losses from three hurricanes this year to nearly $1 billion.

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, or UF/IFAS, on Friday released a preliminary estimate of losses from Milton, which plowed into Sarasota County with 120 mph maximum sustained winds on Oct. 9, crossed the state and affected 55 counties.

With losses estimated between $190.4 million and $642.7 million, Milton had a larger impact on agricultural production in Florida than Hurricane Debby in August and Hurricane Helene in September. Both of those hurricanes made landfall in rural Taylor County.

“It’s the area that the storm hit as well as the time of season that they (farmers) were in,” Christa Court, UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program director, said Friday about Milton during a conference call with reporters.

“It’s both the timing and the geography of the storm in this case,” Court added.

The UF/IFAS estimates for Milton are mostly tied to the current growing season and don’t include damage to such things as fertilizer and feed or repairs to damaged and destroyed infrastructure.

Milton affected more than 5.7 million acres of agricultural land, two-thirds of which was used for livestock grazing, according to UF/IFAS.

Vegetable and melon production took a large financial hit in Milton, with an estimated $52.5 million to $233 million in losses. Greenhouses and nurseries were at $66.9 million to $177.3 million in estimated losses.

Livestock and animal production losses were estimated at $29.3 million to $86.5 million. Fruit and tree-nut losses were estimated at $14.6 million to $57.7 million. Citrus losses were estimated at $23 million to $55 million. Field and row crops sustained an estimated $3.89 million to $32.9 million in losses.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut by 20 percent a forecast for Florida orange production in the current growing season and lopped another 14 percent off the anticipated harvest of grapefruit.

Helene resulted in an estimated $40.3 million to $162.2 million in losses, with the total expected to be narrowed in the coming months. Debby led to an estimated $170 million in losses, according to UF/IFAS.

“Milton resulted in higher agricultural losses than Hurricane Helene, not only because it caused more intense weather conditions overall, but also because areas producing high-value commodities experienced higher-intensity weather conditions,” said Xiaohui Qiao, a research assistant professor with the Economic Impact Analysis Program.

As another comparison, Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Southwest Florida in 2022, resulted in $1.033 billion in agricultural losses. Hurricane Irma, which ran up the state in 2017, caused $1.31 billion in losses.

Court said data collection has improved since Irma.

Days after Milton’s arrival, state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson estimated that the storm caused between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion in losses, while Debby, Helene and 2023’s Hurricane Idalia, which also made landfall in Taylor County, caused another $1.5 billion in damages.

“This major hurricane follows several years of above average rainfall, severe storms and winds, other tropical cyclones, hard freezes, and the significant economic disruption to all sectors of the economy caused by supply chain issues and mounting inflationary pressures, which may hinder access to necessary resources these farmers need,” Simpson wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

An October report from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services found major structural damage to nurseries and cattle ranches, while power outages caused disruptions to cow-milking operations. The report also found cotton, peanut and rice crops suffered “minor to catastrophic” damages, while vegetables, melons, blueberries, strawberries, and tropical fruits experienced “significant damages.”

A federal spending package proposed this week included $110 billion in emergency aid to communities recovering from Hurricane Helene and Helene Milton. But the fate of the money remained unclear Friday as the U.S. House struggled to pass a spending plan.

Jean Marie