LYONS, Ga. — Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs continue to clutter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm, over two months post-Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact across the South.
An overturned irrigation sprinkler system, stretching approximately 300 feet, lies damaged in a field, while a crumpled grain bin remains by the roadside. On a Friday in early December, Hopkins was seen clearing large limbs from the tractor’s path as he prepares for the cotton harvest.
“The past two months have been an emotional struggle,” remarked Hopkins, who cultivates not only cotton but also corn and peanuts in rural Toombs County, about 75 miles west of Savannah. “Should we push through this and give up? Should we rebuild? It’s exhausting.”
Hopkins finds himself among numerous Southern farmers grappling with the aftermath of Helene. The storm, which made landfall in Florida on September 26 as a perilous Category 4 hurricane, swept northward through Georgia and adjacent states.
Industry experts project that the total cost to farmers, timber growers, and other agribusinesses from Florida to Virginia will exceed $10 billion. This figure encompasses destroyed crops, downed timber, ruined farm equipment, and severely damaged poultry houses, along with indirect losses such as decreased productivity in cotton gins and poultry processing facilities.
For farmers like Hopkins, Helene struck at the onset of the fall harvest. Many hesitated to begin clean-up efforts, prioritizing the salvage of their remaining crops.
Georgia agriculture bore storm losses estimated at $5.5 billion, according to a study by the University of Georgia. In North Carolina, assessments determined $3.1 billion in crop losses and recovery costs as a result of Helene’s unprecedented rainfall and flooding. Additional economic evaluations indicated potential losses of up to $630 million in Virginia, $452 million in South Carolina, and $162 million in Florida.
Hopkins estimates he lost approximately half of the cotton on his 1,400 acres.
“We were at our most vulnerable,” he explained. “The cotton was fully open and ready for picking. Unfortunately, around 50% of what could be harvested ended up on the ground.”
Despite having insurance, Hopkins anticipates incurring losses upwards of $430,000 solely from his cotton yield. This estimate does not factor in expenses for debris clearance, machinery repairs or replacements, or the loss of two pecan orchards that were uprooted in the storm.
The hurricane devastated cotton fields, pecan orchards ripe with nuts, and areas where fall crops like cucumbers and squash awaited harvest. Additionally, hundreds of poultry houses were flattened, impacting chicken production.
Even farmers located farther from the storm’s epicenter were affected, as tropical-storm winds extended up to 310 miles.
“The scale of destruction was staggering,” noted Timothy Coolong, a horticulture professor. “Some may find this overwhelming.”
Hurricane Helene ranks among the deadliest hurricanes in the U.S. in almost two decades, resulting in over 200 fatalities and damaging or destroying more than 100,000 homes across the affected states.
In response to the devastation, Georgia’s government reallocated $100 million intended for construction and debt repayments to facilitate emergency loans for farmers and support recovery efforts from Helene.
Nevertheless, Georgia’s constitution restricts the utilization of state funds for direct disaster assistance to individuals and private entities.
In Congress, a newly proposed plan aims to provide federal disaster aid to farmers as part of a temporary funding measure.
“We need assistance quickly,” voiced Jeffrey Pridgen, a fifth-generation farmer from Coffee County.
Pridgen operated multiple poultry houses, each capable of raising up to 20,000 chickens. Helene’s aftermath saw the destruction of four of his houses along with thousands of chickens, leaving just one operational.
New poultry houses are estimated to cost about $450,000 each. With most of his structures being decades old, Pridgen anticipates insurance to cover only a fraction of the expenses.
“I was close to retirement, but that plan vanished in a day,” he lamented. “It may take two years to restore full operations—I’m essentially starting from scratch.”
Georgia’s poultry sector sustained an estimated $683 million in damages, necessitating a rebuild of around 300 poultry houses while also repairing hundreds more.
The poultry processing facility serving farmers like Pridgen is currently working four days a week, down from normal operations.
“We are now in a long recovery phase,” said Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation. “This slow rebuilding will have long-term effects on overall production.”
Despite the extensive devastation, Helene’s impact on consumer prices is expected to be minimal, as crops from alternative regions can fill many gaps, according to agricultural experts. Pecans may see price fluctuations due to Georgia’s significant production share.
“Typically, storms like this have a limited effect,” Adjemian stated. “In many cases, it may go unnoticed.”
Helene is estimated to have cost Georgia cotton farmers around one-third of their crop, with total losses calculated at $560 million. Some farmers were still struggling to recover from Hurricane Michael, which struck in 2018.
Cotton growers were also contending with low prices this season, hovering around 70 cents per pound, underscoring the necessity for a robust yield for profitability.
“The situation had already been dire, and then a hurricane hit,” said a local official. “While some lost everything, everyone faced some loss.”
