By Renee Strickland, Farm Journal Foundation
The U.S. just wrapped up another relentless hurricane season, and farmers like me are taking stock of what we have, and what we’ve lost.
Here in Florida, we’re used to getting hit by tropical storms, but their frequency and severity are getting harder to bear. Three hurricanes — Debby, Helene and Milton — made landfall in Florida this year. All brought massive amounts of rain and caused damage from flooding and winds.
At my cattle ranch in central Florida, Debby dumped more than 15 inches of rain in 12 hours, the biggest downpour I’ve ever seen in my 30 years of farming. Fortunately, my farm sits about 60 feet above sea level, high enough that we were able to avoid significant flood damage, but I have friends who were forced to evacuate their cattle in airboats to get them to higher ground.
While it’s too early to know the full extent of damage, Florida’s Department of Agriculture estimates that this year’s storms may cost the agricultural industry as much as $4 billion, with farmers facing “unprecedented financial strain,” according to Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson. While Debby and Helene hit livestock producing areas, as well as nursery and row crops, Hurricane Milton struck further south, causing catastrophic losses to Florida’s orange industry, which was already suffering from ongoing crop disease outbreaks. This year’s Florida citrus crop is expected to be a record low.
Agricultural damages from hurricanes are in addition to devastating losses to life and property that have occurred across the Gulf and Atlantic coasts and further inland this year. The entire country watched in September as Hurricane Helene caused massive flooding and landslides in Appalachia, killing more than 200 people dead.
Climate change is contributing to many other challenges beyond storms. Florida’s scorching summers are becoming hotter and longer than they used to be, and these extreme temperatures are especially difficult for livestock. Warmer, humid weather also creates active breeding grounds for insects and weeds, hurting farm productivity and increasing costs.
It’s not just farmers who suffer; consumers also feel the impact. Experts are warning the losses in food production caused by this year’s hurricanes may lead to higher food prices in the months to come. For many of us, this whiplash at the grocery store is starting to feel all too familiar, after COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war and multiple extreme weather events contributed to food price spikes over the past few years.
Ultimately, farmers are fighting an ongoing battle, and they need more support to continue producing ample, affordable food supplies in the face of greater challenges. While we may not be able to stop extreme weather from happening, there are things we can do to be prepared — something the new administration in Washington, D.C., should remember when they’re sworn into office next year.
Investing in agricultural research and development is an important way to help farmers be more resilient. Drought-resistant crop varieties, new treatments for crop and livestock diseases, and precision agricultural technologies that increase farm efficiency — these are examples of innovations that can make the difference between a good season and a ruined one.
Public institutions like land-grant universities, government laboratories and international research organizations like CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) play a key role in ensuring that farmers worldwide get access to the right technologies. So, it’s important the U.S. government continues to invest in agricultural innovation.
In addition, public-private partnerships like the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) can make funding spent on science go further. Since the foundation was established, it has matched every government dollar with $1.40 from nonfederal sources, often from the private sector, making it a good use of taxpayer money. Overall, public spending on agricultural research and development has an extremely high return on investment, returning about $20 to the U.S. economy for every $1 spent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
With the new administration coming into office, and with Congress continuing to debate the Farm Bill, it’s a timely opportunity to act. It’s important because farmers are not only up against extreme weather but also face increasing competition in international markets. China and Brazil already outspend the U.S. on public-sector agricultural research, according to a recent report from Farm Journal Foundation, putting American agriculture’s competitiveness at risk.
At the end of the day, failing to invest in agricultural innovation may have significant consequences. The world now faces disturbing levels of hunger and malnutrition, which, in addition to being a humanitarian crisis, can also lead to geopolitical risks that threaten our national security. U.S. farmers, as well as smallholder farmers abroad, need access to innovations to help them maintain their livelihoods and ensure that people everywhere have access to safe, affordable food.
Renee Strickland is a fourth-generation cattle producer from Myakka City and a farmer ambassador with Farm Journal Foundation. Banner photo: Another image of flooded rural land around Sarasota after Hurricane Debby (iStock image). This opinion piece was originally published by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, which are media partners of The Invading Sea.
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