The Florida Farm Bureau says farmers and ranchers are facing widespread destruction of crops, buildings and fencing from Hurricane Ian last week.
Florida Farm Bureau is working with its members to assess the damage. The organization says significant fruit has been dropped from the trees in areas of the citrus belt.
Fall vegetables once rooted are now lost. Not only has there been loss of human life, but livestock and dairy farms have been devastated by the wrath of Hurricane Ian.
Farmers and ranchers are repairing greenhouses, structures, irrigation systems and other machinery and equipment throughout the region. Many farm families are still cutting their way through down trees and power lines and battling flooded roads and blown-out culverts to evaluate the damage.
One thing is for certain, the organization says, is that "Florida farmers and ranchers remain unwavering in their commitment to produce the food and fiber that millions of Americans depend on."