This report summarizes the damage I observed and discussed with Martin County farmers and nursery growers during site visits and phone calls on September 30, 2022. Overall, the agribusinesses I heard from said the impacts, if they had any, were manageable. Most of the vegetable producers I spoke with did not have damage, especially if they had not yet begun planting for the season. Flooding impacts were variable, with some experiencing flooding even two days after the storm and others reporting none or very little. Wind damage was generally minor, though the tropical fruit producers I visited did have more widespread damage. One of the nursery growers shared improvements they have been making to reduce storm damage and labor costs. If you are a Florida grower and would like to report damage online, take the survey here: 2022 Florida Agricultural Disaster Assessment. If you need resources for recovery and future disaster planning, connect with your local UF/IFAS Extension and Farm Service Agency offices and check out the resources here:
Hurricane Preparation and Recovery Guides for Florida Producers | USDA Climate Hubs – new guides are specific to individual commodities (beef, nursery, corn, poultry, sugarcane, watermelon, tomato, eggplant, pepper, etc.). Most or all guides include information on long-range disaster planning, as well as short-term prep and recovery recommendations.
One of our local nurseries, after having to repair their greenhouse repeatedly as a result of storm damage, has invested in a hardened structure for some of their retail sales and event space.
To more readily prepare for storms, this grower set up a retractable overhead shadecloth.
This Indiantown farmer reported that the flood waters overtopped his vegetable beds for about 12 hours. The field of yellow squash shown here, planted in early September, will now need to be replaced.
Crops that were producing fruit and flowers at the time of the storm will have reduced yields. Many fruits fell, and those that remained on the trees were often damaged by the winds. In this picture, a grower shows one of the fallen guava fruits she has gathered since the storm. Guava are wrapped in protective covers while still on the tree, to protect the developing fruits. Other fruiting trees, like mango and sugar apple, were in their flowering stage. Flowers lost due to wind damage will also result in decreased fruit yields.
Some fields were still flooded on Friday, September 30 when I visited, and the plastic mulch was damaged in places. The vegetable seedlings in these beds will most likely require re-planting.
Many of our growers use protective structures like the one shown here. Most structures were undamaged or only minimally damaged by Hurricane Ian. Where there was some damage, winds tore plastic and shade cloth coverings and sometimes bent or broke the hardware/frames/supports.
Due to wind and flood damage, this farmer estimates he will need to re-plant 50-80 acres of vegetables.
Growers of edible bamboo, an agroforestry crop, mound soil and compost over the base of each clump. Edible sprouts from rhizomes are harvested shortly after they emerge from the ground. The winds of Hurricane Ian resulted in the uprooting of some bamboo clumps as winds felled many overhead stalks.
Growers will re-stake fallen and leaning fruit trees, like this mango, but some will not survive.
Trays of liner plants on a ground cloth caught by the winds were flipped and thrown onto nearby trays. Photo credit: Ian Pinder
Nursery plantings are typically underlaid by ground cloths. Shown here, some of the ground cloth was ripped up by strong winds.
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