Hurricane Ian costs Florida agriculture up to $1.9 billion
Florida's signature crop, citrus, accounted for one-third of the losses suffered by the state's farming sector last month from Hurricane Ian, said a preliminary damage assessment by the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Estimates of total agricultural damages ranged from $1.2 billion to $1.9 billion.
Trump signs disaster bill with $3 billion for agriculture
A smiling President Trump announced enactment of the $19.1 billion disaster bill that includes $3 billion for agricultural relief on Thursday. Delayed for months by White House efforts to limit aid to Puerto Rico, the disaster package empowers Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to allot the …
Corn losses in rainy spring will be “similar to a severe drought” in scope
Heading into the final week of May, U.S. farmers have planted only 46 percent of the corn and soybean acreage that they intended this year, due to the rainy spring. Economist Todd Hubbs of the University of Illinois said on Tuesday the setback to the corn crop “appears set to hit a level …
Crop insurance posts unusually low loss rate
Farmers have collected $3.65 billion in crop insurance indemnities on 2016 production, a much smaller amount than in preceding years. Economist Gary Schnitkey of the University of Illinois says the loss ratio — payments divided by premiums — of 0.41 was the lowest in 27 years of data available on the Risk Management Agency's web site.