Tropical Storm Nicole expected to affect crops and logistics in Central Florida

Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall as a hurricane in eastern Florida yesterday morning. Nicole’s center was about 30 miles southwest of Orlando at about 7 a.m. ET. This storm brought torrential rain and damaging winds to central Florida before turning north into Georgia and North Carolina. Many areas of Florida are still recovering from Hurricane Ian, which caused severe damage to citrus, tomato and vegetable crops last September.

“Once again, citrus fruits, potatoes, and vegetables in Central Florida are in the way of a storm,” says Jose Ruggiero of Freshway Produce. Although most of these crops were harvested in the summer, there are currently some plantings.

“Pepper and squash farms are in the way of a storm,” said Neil Mazal of Lake Worth, Florida-based East Coast Farms & Vegibles. Some pepper growers decided to choose something to take the weight off the plant, but there wasn’t much they could do to prevent the damage. Hank Scott of Long and Scott Farms on Mount Dora predicted strong winds hitting sweet corn. “Depending on the speed of the hurricane, the winds and rain can last for a day and a half or more,” Scott said. “This could translate to worse consequences than Hurricane Ian by the time it’s all over. Let’s pray that it all works out, we survive and we can get through the fall season.” Mazar, on the other hand, noted that the storm was expected to move quickly, so farmers were optimistic that they would survive the flood damage.

strange
There were reasons to be concerned about exotic products such as passion fruit and pitahaya. “The storm will pass close to where we get the passion fruit, so we will be on the alert for any disruption or crop loss when the storm passes,” HLB Specialties’ Melissa Hartmann de Barros said yesterday. Wind and rain were expected to affect the fruit that was expected to be harvested earlier in the year. Central Florida’s Petahia region received heavy rain from Hurricane Ian in September and may experience heavy rain again. “Let’s hope the poles don’t fall and the farms don’t get flooded,” said Ruggiero. “The Dragon Fruit in the Homestead area will be fine because it is not in the storm’s path,” he added. Homestead is where the bulk of Florida’s dragon fruit is produced. In the wake of the damage caused by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, Ruggiero believes central Florida’s production volume will be limited next year.

Effects of the storm on passion fruit in central Florida.

logistics
HLB Specialties has a container waiting to be unloaded at the Port of Miami. However, the port announced that it was closed on Tuesday evening, and will open when weather conditions permit. “If the port is still closed, we may not see that container until Monday, as the port is closed on Friday for Veterans Day,” Hartmann de Barros said. “We just hope that the container will be released in time before the weekend, so that our sales are not affected.”

As of Wednesday night, HLB had not received any communication from the trucking companies about the delay. “However, we may see disruptions to logistics, because it would be dangerous for the trucks to head north,” Hartmann de Barros added. “They may be able to walk Florida’s west coast route north to avoid high winds, but we remain vigilant for any announcements.”

Photo: National Hurricane Center.

Georgia
From Florida, the storm will be heading to Georgia. Farmers there are nearing the end of the growing season, except for cabbage and vegetables. “Hopefully, the winds and rain will subside by the time the storm reaches southern Georgia,” he said.

He added, “The prices of sweet peppers and cucumbers rose this season, but they decreased recently for eggplant and zucchini.” “As a result, most farmers have had a successful harvest. Green bean prices are expected to remain high, albeit far from season highs, during Thanksgiving, and any damage to this crop could drive prices much higher.

for more information:
Jose Rogerio
Freshway Produce Inc.
[email protected]
www.freshwayusa.com

Melissa Hartmann de Barros
HLB . Specialties
[email protected]
www.hlbspec.com

Neil Mazal
East Coast Farms & Vegetables
[email protected]
www.eastcoastfarms.us

Hank Scott
Long and silent farms
[email protected]
www.longandscottfarms.com