Pecan Team Response to Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael passed directly through the heart of Georgia’s pecan producing region on October 10, 2018. The UGA Pecan Team estimated the loss of 27,455 acres of pecan trees totaling 741,285 trees. The storm damage resulted in a total loss of $560 million to the Georgia pecan industry. The UGA pecan specialist visited orchards in damaged regions and spoke with many pecan producers by phone immediately after the storm to assess the damage. The UGA Pecan Team provided information over the UGA Pecan Blog before and after the storm to keep growers, UGA Extension agents, pecan buyers, and government agents and officials updated on storm preparation and effects of the storm in the aftermath. The UGA Pecan Team also worked closely with federal officials and the Georgia Department of Agriculture to address issues directly related to crop loss, damage assessment, and revision of existing programs to make them more supportive of recovery for pecan producers. Over a seven-day period following the storm, the UGA Pecan Blog had over 9,300 page views as the UGA Pecan team repeatedly provided updated information on damage assessment. Information from this blog was used in many news stories throughout the world documenting the storm’s impact. This information also provided valuable estimates of the extent of damage to the Georgia Department of Agriculture and USDA.