More than 3,500 farms in 21 localities in Virginia were impacted by Hurricane Helene which brought drenching rain and strong winds to the state.
Agricultural damages are estimated at nearly $160 million, according to an assessment recently completed by Virginia Cooperative Extension agents.
However, an analysis by Virginia Tech suggests that the economic impact from Hurricane Helene on Virginia agriculture could be as high as $630 million.
The analysis gives an estimate between $416 million and $630 million. The numbers include direct losses and replacement costs on farms. The Virginia Tech analysis also accounted for lost income over multiple years and the time needed to resume normal production for producers of Christmas trees, blueberries, beef cattle and apples, to name a few.
“When evaluating the hurricane’s impact, it’s also important to estimate the indirect impact of future losses,” said John Bovay, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. “These are the ripple effects on the regional economy that happen when farmers lose income.
“Agriculture is a large source of income in Southwest Virginia. Helene devastated many of the communities in the region, and it will take large investments in infrastructure and general recovery efforts to help the communities return to normal economic conditions,” Bovay said. “Some farmers will, unfortunately, need to invest in additional land to continue operating similarly to the way they were a few months ago, because of the infeasibility of restoring their land to the condition it was in before the storm.”
The Virginia Cooperative Extension’s assessment is used by state and federal agencies to determine what resources to allocate to each region.
“Farming is a critical contributor to the rural economies where these losses occurred,” said Dan Goerlich, Extension’s associate director for economy, community and food, who led the assessment. “It is our hope that this assessment will help guide resources for recovery to these farms and communities that are so vital to Virginia’s economic prosperity.”
The most significantly impacted crop damages were timber, hay and pumpkins. There were also $1.2 million in livestock losses by beef cattle producers.
Extension assessment: Hurricane Helene, loss estimate by county
Grayson County suffered the biggest losses, quantified at $61 million, or 38 percent of the statewide damage, according to the report.
- Grayson County: $61,065,834
- Wythe County: $22,709,360
- Smyth County: $18,424,668
- Washington County: $12,970,997
- Carroll County: $12,191,100
- Tazewell County: $9,130,664
- Lee County: $7,064,700
- Russell County: $4,928,557
- Scott County: $3,418,548
- Wise County: $3,418,548
View additional losses in Virginia by county in the assessment.
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Crystal Graham
