U of A System Division of Ag Pegs Flood, Rain Caused Row Crop Losses at $40-50 Million
By Mary Hightower, U of A System Division of Agriculture
Heavy, sustained rainfall in August may cost Arkansas row crop farmers $40-50 million, according to a preliminary estimate released Thursday by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“In a state where agriculture contributes more than $20 billion a year, this is no small loss,” said Mark Cochran, vice president-agriculture, and head of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “It’s certainly not a small loss to families whose farms are the main source of income.
“While that figure is large, we need to remember it’s still only a preliminary number and the ultimate figures won’t be known until harvest is over, and these numbers could be higher, especially when quality discounts and impacts on the specialty crop industry are better known,” he said.
Cochran said the Division of Agriculture, with its network for state crop specialists, county agents and its economics team, is in a unique position to quickly assess these types of damage.
Authors Eric Wailes, distinguished professor and L.C. Carter chair in the agricultural economics and agribusiness; and Brad Watkins professor and extension economist, warned that “at this stage it is difficult to gauge the impact of quality deterioration and need for segregating damaged crops to avoid contamination of non-damaged harvest.
“Finally, this estimate does not include the damage incurred on small and large vegetable and melon farms,” the authors said. “In this light a more reasonable estimate of damage is likely to be $50 million and that may ultimately prove to be a conservative value.”
