Florida farmers face billions in losses due to cold weather

LABELLE, Fla. —

Farmers in Florida are facing billions of dollars in losses as they struggle to protect their crops from freezing temperatures.

In LaBelle, Felix Hernandez, field manager at Blueberry Bunch Farm, is taking measures to protect his crops from another cold blast.

"I've been here for 18 years, and this is the hardest winter," Hernandez said.

Hernandez explained that when temperatures drop, he must act quickly to protect the plants.

"When the temperatures drop, I have to be here running. I'm doing everything. Everything is ready to run. 2,000 gallons per minute," he said.

He uses a water pump to irrigate and spray water on the plants, which freezes over them to help keep most berries alive. Despite these efforts, Hernandez reported losing more than 4,000 plants and around 30,000 pounds of blueberries worth around $100,000 due to the cold wind and temperatures this year.

Florida's recent cold snaps have caused over $3 billion in estimated losses to the state's agriculture.

Elizabeth Etnoyer, owner of Southwest Florida Produce in Punta Gorda, is also feeling the impact.

"It's not going to be good. It's not good. Twice that's happened. It's hard for us to even get supplies here quickly because this is something we don't expect," Etnoyer said.

Etnoyer described the challenges faced due to the last frost, including the destruction of plastic sheets used to protect crops.

"Due to our last frost, a lot of them blew, like, far. We had to go far to pick up all of the sheets and the plastic. And then they all got destroyed from the wind. So we can't even get any more plastic in for tonight," she said.

Farmers hope this is the last cold snap of the year, as freezing temperatures in the Gulf Coast not only damage their crops and supply but also hurt their business.

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