Lee Trawick
reporter2@riverbendnenws.org
The Federal Crop Insurance Program was created to insure Farmers against crop losses. But because of how the program is designed and has been managed over time, it actually only protects 20 percent of U.S farms, even as the cost to do so skyrocket. - ewg.org
Hurricane Idalia wrecked North Central Florida on Aug. 30, and while most are beginning to feel a sense of normalcy, some local farmers may never recover. According to the Economic Research Service in 2021, Farming contributes 1.264 trillion dollars to U.S Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and while farming continues to be the backbone of America; it is not protected as such. In fact many local farmers have been forced to cut their insurance policies in half, leaving many farmers vulnerable to the economy, elements and disasters.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in the back ground to help, however, the local farmers shared their worry for the FEMA's lack of understanding of farming at the Suwannee County
delegation legislative meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at City Hall in Live Oak. “FEMA is here and that's great but, our local farmers don't need help in two years, we need help now. FEMA talks about insurance, that is a joke, many of our farmers can't afford insurance anymore, and what insurance we do have doesn't cover wind damage anymore.” Weslyn Wainwright said.
State Representative Jason Shoaf and Florida Senator Corey Simon were in Suwannee County to hear from the Suwannee County elected officials and its citizens. With the destruction of Hurricane Idalia looming largely over the meeting, it did not take long for the local farmers to share their worry and concerns for the agriculture industry. Not only were the local farmers impacted by the hurricane, businesses were also equally effected, such as Pilgrims Pride, “When we are talking about the damage, we as poultry farmers have to keep in mind Pilgrimss Pride has also been crippled by the hurricane. They are shut down, we aren't talking 1,500 employees and not counting the farmers, but we are talking about 1,500 families here,” Wainwright said, who also suffered close to $500,000 in damages and loss. “Many of these farmers can not recover the loss they have suffered and by the way, insurance companies continue to drive up the rates and split policies and cover this but won't cover that. FEMA wants to help and we appreciate all of their effort, but even they say it's is going to take time. We don't have time, our chickens still have to be housed, fed and moved everyday. Our cattle still are being held in because of the extensive tree damage in their way, not because of our fences. Most of their fences are destroyed. We don't have time to wait. Farming is seven days a week.”
The issues seemed to resonate with Sen. Simon, “I'm glad you all are here today, all eyes are still on Florida right now. We have Florida Television with us here today and everyone in Tallahassee will be watching. We are here to take back with us your suggestions and needs to give us direction as to what we are fighting for, and this issue is major part of our district. We will definitely be fighting for you all here. The people in Tallahassee need to know this, and I'm glad they will be watching this, I am glad the media is here, this needs to stay in the headlines, just because the hurricane is over doesn't mean the damage doesn't exist anymore,” Sen. Simon said passionately. “We are here to fight for you, and I promise you we will be fighting this the whole way, we have to do better and myself and Rep. Shoaf will make sure that we do.”
Due to the disparity between farmers and insurance companies, many local farmers have made life-altering decisions when it comes to their insurance policies. Many are left with little to no insurance, with the hopes of avoiding any significant damage to their farms. Unfortunately, Hurricane Idalia has brought these issues to the surface and have left farmers vulnerable, who's to blame?
Rep. Shoaf and Sen. Simon will take this fight to Tallahassee, beginning on January 9, 2024, in hopes of bridging the gap between the farmers, insurance companies and FEMA. While government is traditionally moves slow, Sen. Simon and Rep. Shoaf assure the public they will do all they can to get results as soon as they can, making this issue a top priority for North Central Florida.