By Terry Richards
terry.richards@gaflnews.com

VALDOSTA — Lowndes County’s agricultural losses from Hurricane Helene are “easily in the millions,” according to a local extension agent.

The monster-sized Helene slammed into the Big Bend region of Florida on Sept. 26 and proceeded up the I-75 corridor into Lowndes County, doing much damage along the way.

Lowndes County’s pecan crop took a pounding, said Jacob Kalina, agricultural natural resources agent for the UGA Extension Service.

“Blueberries and pecans also were affected,” he said. “Even peanuts, but not so much as they are low to the ground.”

The agricultural damage was “worse than expected,” Kalina said.

Lowndes County’s timber industry was also impacted, but the solid numbers for that aren’t in yet, he said.

Helene ripped through almost nine million acres of Georgia timberland, doing almost $1.2 billion of damage, a statement from the Georgia Forestry Commission said.

Help is available for Lowndes County farmers through USDA and FEMA programs, Kalina said. Those farmers with crop insurance should check with their insurers as soon as possible, he said.

Crop insurance is not mandatory for farmers.

There was also some equipment loss due to Helene, “collapsed barns and the like which could affect harvests,” Kalina said.

Helene caused $6.4 billion in damage to Georgia’s overall agricultural industry, according to estimates released Thursday by the University of Georgia’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

Gov. Brian Kemp called on Congress to quickly appropriate funds for agricultural disaster relief. Meanwhile, more than 40 agricultural industry firms have created their own relief fund for Georgia’s growers. More information can be found at www.supportgeorgiafarmers.com.

Dave Williams of the Capitol Beat News Service contributed to this report.