Farmers, ranchers, and many other Texans in the agricultural industry are still trying to figure out how they'll get by after hurricane Hanna devastated their harvest.
400 Million dollars. That's nearly how much in damages to the agriculture industry is attributed to hurricane Hanna, via a report from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. On July 25th and the 26th, high winds and heavy rain battered the Gulf Coast and the Rio Grande Valley. Around 95 percent of the local cotton crop was lost. Agricultural economist John Robinson says all of the damage will have a ripple affect across the state.
“This is a capital intense business. They borrow every year, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Well, this year, they may collect some crop insurance. That won’t make them whole. So they’re probably going to come up short,” Robinson said.
Robinson says farmers were already having a tough time due to low commodity prices amid the pandemic. He says it may not be until next year until many will recover.