By Justin Walker
Communications Specialist
Hurricanes, floods and wildfires struck Texas and the United States in what is considered to be one of the most destructive and costly years ever, according to AgWeb.
Three major hurricanes—Harvey, Irma and Maria—left devastation and destruction in their wake.
Harvey caused an estimated $200 million in agricultural losses for the Lone Star State.
Cotton farmers who were expecting a bumper crop took the largest hit with $100 million in losses. More than 200,000 bales of cotton lint on the stalk, valued at $62.4 million, were lost. Another 200,000 harvested bales valued at $9.6 million had degraded quality, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economists. There were also widespread losses of cottonseed.
Livestock losses, which include cattle and calves that died during the storm and industry infrastructure, reached $93 million.
Rice and soybeans were also hit with $8 million in losses.
Damaged communities are still recovering from the devastating storm.
Wildfires in March burned more than 1.5 million acres across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado, killing thousands of head of cattle. National numbers continue to climb, as wildfires in California continue to burn.
Of that 1.5 million acres burned, more than half a million acres were in Texas alone.
The three fires—Lefors, Perryton and Dumas—caused at least $21 million in agricultural losses, according to AgriLife Extension.
That accounts for $6.1 million in loss of pastures, $6.1 million in damage to fencing, $3.8 million to replace lost buildings and corrals, $4 million in livestock lost and about $1 million in emergency hay and feed.
About 975 miles of fencing needed to be repaired or replaced following the fires.
Thanks to generous donations, Texas Farm Bureau distributed funds to victims of Harvey and the Panhandle wildfires to help with unreimbursed agricultural losses.