The landscape in areas of Georgia has forever been changed. The natural beauty of century old trees, the carefully tended acres and even the man-made structures built for necessity, safety or just convenience have been at minimum scarred or altered in some way in parts of our state. The practices that have been adhered for decades for the conservation, protection and preservation of our land have been threatened, and in some cases, eroded overnight by something completely and totally beyond any mortal’s control. It all occurred on October 10, 2018, when Hurricane Michael came to Georgia.
Hurricane Michael was a history-making storm in more ways than one. What began as the thirteenth major storm identified in the 2018 hurricane season seemed to have a supernatural strength and awed seasoned meteorologists with its rapid formation and intensity. Just a mere three days prior to its landfall, this hurricane’s wind speed nearly doubled, catapulting it from a tropical depression with approximately 40 MPH winds to a category one hurricane with 75 MPH wind strength. It quickly gained the full attention of national weather forecasters and anxious residents all along the Gulf Coast area, watching with restless speculation of not only the category rank but the landfall target. It didn’t take an expert to understand the potential this storm might gain as it moved into the conducive, warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. But even the most experienced experts likely didn’t expect this.
According to information from The Weather Channel, the storm caused Blue tarps covering roofs of various structures litter the path of the storm. Many are awaiting repairs from roofers who are still in high demand. catastrophic damage to our Florida neighbors making landfall as an unprecedented high-end Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds of 155 MPH and a strong storm surge. The first Cat 4 storm recorded to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle, it had continued to gain strength before contact with land and trekked inland to South Georgia, maintaining hurricane strength and extreme low surface pressure. When it arrived on Georgia soil, it was still a Category 3 hurricane, the first of its magnitude to hit our state since 1898. Described as a massive hurricane, its stormforce wind speeds stretched for 320 miles and its heavy rain triggered flash flooding from the Carolinas to New Jersey. Hurricane Michael spent 5 days as a tropical cyclone and the destruction in its path throughout Georgia was devastating.
“I went from having one of the best crops I’d ever had to having one of the worst crops in about six hours,” said State Representative Clay Pirkle, a Turner County farmer and AgGeorgia member. “My cotton yields had been 1,482 pounds before the storm hit. After the storm in the same field, six rows over, the yields were 488 pounds. The cotton was gone. We’ve easily lost 1,000 pounds to the acre across the board on our cotton yields.” The yields weren’t the only thing that affected the cotton. The grades deteriorated as well. “Some of our cotton that graded 21-31 before the storm was grading 44-54 afterwards,” he added. Yields along with grades are what a producer strives for in any commodity since that determines the amount paid for their crop. The timing couldn’t have been worse for cotton producers. “All the money had been spent on making the crop,” Pirkle continues, “every nickel, right down to the bulk of it being defoliated [and ready to harvest].”
The Pirkle family also had damage to all but one of their farm buildings and trees had fallen on fence rows allowing their cows to wander out of their confined areas. “We got calls every day, sometimes twice a day from neighbors about our cows being out,” Pirkle added. “We still have trees down but have fixed the fences and don’t get as many calls.” And to add insult to injury, they were without electricity for about 5 days. “It was miserable.” State Representative Sam Watson, another AgGeorgia member and vegetable producer from Colquitt County, can definitely relate to Pirkle’s issues.
Watson’s vegetable production consists of approximately 250 acres in the spring and 250 in the fall. His crops of bell pepper, squash, cabbage, cucumbers and eggplant were at the height of harvest. “We lost about half of our pepper, half of our eggplant and half of our cucumbers,” Watson said. “On the squash, we were able to get them turned back around. But by the time we were able to get to it, the markets had dropped. There was no need to even keep picking them so at that point, we just walked away.” The timing of the storm was detrimental for him as well. “October is our month,” he continued. “That’s when it’s all hands on deck, get ready. Usually the first frost date in Georgia is the first week in November. [When the hurricane hit] It was go time,” Watson explained. Other issues plagued the additional vegetables waiting to be harvested. “The wind blew a lot of it down and once the sun came out two days later, we couldn’t get there [to the fields] fast enough and the sun scalded what was left. I simply didn’t have the manpower to get in the field – the roads were still dangerous, the power lines were still dangerous. We didn’t want our people on the road. And quite honestly, we were still trying to figure out just what to do,” Watson said. “The other half of that equation was the power (electricity) was out. The shelf life on vegetables is short-lived,” said Watson. “Not only did we suffer crop losses in the fields due to the hurricane, but afterwards with little refrigeration capacities due to no electricity. We had a really good crop, the best crop we’ve ever had and the best markets we’d had in a long time. Everything was the best we’d ever had. The demand was there for the product,” Watson explained. “With what we do now, our costs of production continue to go up and we’ve got nobody to pass it on to. But yet the price we receive for the products we grow stays the same. This was one of those years where that wasn’t the case. Get a little shot in the arm and catch up from last year with Irma, get a little money in the bank and get our head above water and be ready to go another 10 years. The hurricane couldn’t have hit at a worse time for us,” he concluded.
In an interview with Austin Scott, U. S. Representative for Georgia’s 8th Congressional District, he acknowledged the importance of agriculture to our state economy. “Ag IS our economy,” Scott said adamantly. “If the farmer is not making money, the car dealers aren’t making money, the restaurants aren’t making money, the store down the street is not making money. It’s pretty simple when you get down to it.” He then addressed the importance of ag at the national level in stating, “A strong ag economy is also important to our national security.” Always an advocate for agriculture, Scott knows the current plight of producers. “In the last couple of years in our area, our farmers have lost the crop because of natural disaster. As the crop approaches harvest time there’s more input costs in it than at the start of the season. Hurricane Michael hit us at the worst possible time. The crop was there and it was going to be a record year, especially for non-irrigated crop land. Then all of a sudden as you go to harvest the crop, you lose it all through no fault of your own,” Scott adds.
Scott also feels the urgency to pass a federal assistance programs and has been considering possible assistance options. “The timing of disaster payments to our farmers is extremely pressing,” Scott said and adds, “We have to have [government] payments to pay out the 2018 crop year so we can have a 2019 crop year.” There were several things that happened during the proceedings for passing a federal aid plan that hampered its inception: the mid-term elections, the death of former President George H. W. Bush and the government shutdown. “The word frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe the way I feel that something hasn’t happened for our farmers,” Scott added. He went on to say that he was in contact with the White House and Sonny Perdue on a constant basis. “Sonny is a great ally for us on a regular basis,” he said. Scott also commented on his appreciation for the help that Rep. Pirkle and Rep. Watson had offered on storm assistance.
But just as nature had worked against the ag community in Georgia, others were beginning to combine their efforts to put a plan in place for our farmers. Within a week after the hurricane, Georgia Ag Commissioner Gary Black and U.S. Secretary of Ag Sonny Perdue made a trip to Cordele to meet with approximately 500 farmers and those interested and involved in the ag industry. They surveyed the damage first hand. Their trip was followed by a visit to Georgia from President and First Lady Trump, and they all committed their support for the agriculture sector and to help farmers recover. The State of Georgia was first to put a plan in place to assist. “It wasn’t a bail out and it’s not going to make us whole,” says Pirkle, “but it’s a temporary help until other help comes.” In a special called legislative session by then Governor Nathan Deal, $55 million was appropriated to provide emergency disaster relief loans to farmer affected by the hurricane. The funds were loaned through the Georgia Development Authority to bridge the gap until other disaster program funds become available. “Gary Black and Thomas Carter (with GDA) took a program that was zero, did not exist, and in less than 30 days, 60% of the $55 million has been committed. That is huge,” Pirkle adds. “There have not been many positives to come after this hurricane, but one I can say – the response that the Department of Agriculture has given has been so far beyond my expectations.” Pirkle described the statelevel assistance as a “Herculean effort, quick thinking and outside the box management. I cannot stress how good this has flowed,” Pirkle said. “This type of program didn’t exist – it’s never been done before. It’s just never been done,” continued Pirkle. “And I thank Commissioner Black for the speed by which they’ve worked through this.” Another $20 million was later appropriated due to the large number of requests from producers for assistance.
The storm took its toll on agriculture in Georgia. Not only were cotton and vegetables crops negatively impacted by the storm but also included were timber, peanuts, pecans, poultry and livestock – virtually every facet of the ag sector. “All farmers took it on the chin, including millions of acres of timber in all variations of sizes,” said Pirkle. With over an estimated $1 billion in crop damage, such devastation and destruction may seem hard to overcome. After all, the storm hit at the worst possible time for harvesting many of the crops mentioned and wiped out years of methodical management of other commodities like timber. Jack Drew, CEO of AgGeorgia, acknowledged the challenges throughout the organization’s coverage area. In response, AgGeorgia had committed up to $200,000 to pay the FSA guarantee fees for members requiring an FSA guaranteed loan due to damage from the storm. “While we have had our share of adversities over the years, whether industry downturn such as that in poultry a few years ago or the constant challenge of commodity prices and drought conditions in the row crop sector, we have been fortunate to have avoided any major devastating event. We were tested by Hurricane Irma, but nothing to compare to that of Hurricane Michael,” Drew said.
“Damage within the [AgGeorgia] portfolio varied … from 25% to 100% of the crops, namely in the area of cotton, pecans, and timber, and it may take some time to recover.” Drew is familiar with the various issues that farmers have faced. Being raised on a family farm in Grady County and working with farmers through Farm Credit for over 35 years, he’s not only seen the trials and difficulties of production ag but also the passion and tenacity of those involved with it. “As I think of those impacted by the storm and those who have faced similar adversities, I cannot help but to think that we are a resilient bunch,” Drew added.
Even though the damage from Hurricane Michael was done in a short period of time, recovery will not be. The rebuilding of damaged properties is a choice but pressing forward is not an option. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” And just as Drew and Pirkle remind us, resilience in facing adversity in the calling to supply the world with the necessities of life is the persevering force for the farmer. “There are 5 things necessary to sustain life – air, water, food, clothing and shelter,” Pirkle said. “Of those 5 things, a farmer is a steward of 4 of them. The farmer and farming is a necessity and both will survive. We will soldier on.”