Farming losses near $1 billion, with no end to drought on wayFlorida's drought has had a major impact on agriculture, with losses hovering around the $1 billion mark.
Florida's record drought has led to nearly $1 billion in agricultural losses, wiping out jobs and diminishing the food supply from Florida to Canada, state Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said Monday.
What's worse, Bronson's economist warned, the numbers are going to get more bleak next year because the dry spell is expected to continue.
''We are beginning to see some of the initial signs of collapse,'' Nelson Mongiovi, director of the division of marketing at the Florida Department of Agriculture, told a state legislative committee. ``If you're a farmer, you're going into the spring season with a greater than 50 percent chance you're not going to have enough water to make a crop.''
South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Carol Wehle told the House's Environment and Natural Resources Council that as South Florida moves into the dry season, state meteorologists are predicting dry conditions again, forcing water managers to start emergency plans for managing the water flow into and out of Lake Okeechobee.
The lake is the primary source of water for 32 percent of the farms in Florida. When lake levels are low, it's difficult for water managers to release water to water-starved farms. If water levels in the lake system get too low, salt water can seep into well fields, a crisis Wehle said could take 10 to 20 years to fix.
How will Florida's agrico meltdown impact Americans who are already living with recession constraints?
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