Georgia’s farmers take massive hit after Helene; ‘bomb blast’ could cost state billions

OCILLA, Ga. - Ocilla sits right in the heart of Georgia’s pecan country, but that heart has been badly hurt after Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction last month. 

"This is a total loss right here on this orchard," said Randy Hudson, owner of Hudson Pecan Company. 

Randy’s family have been pecan farmers for generations. When you walk around their orchards, it is not hard to see the storm’s toll. 

"These trees are close to 100 years old," he said. 

Hudson has several dozen orchards. He estimates his family lost anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of their trees, which he says is heartbreaking. He said he has lost millions. 

While his farm has been badly hit, he says he has heard from other pecan growers who lost everything. Statewide, he believes Helene’s total impact on pecans could be over a billion bucks. 

"It's like nothing we've ever seen before, we had Michael, which was terrible," he said. "This hurricane is a bomb blast." 

It’s not just pecans, crops statewide were impacted. 

"We're looking at significant losses," said Dr. Camp Hand with the University of Georgia Extension. 

Georgia’s number one business is agriculture. 

Gov. Brian Kemp said over the weekend over 100 poultry facilities were damaged or destroyed during the storm. 

Hand is a cotton specialist with the UGA Extension. He says cotton prices have been low for some time, which really has impacted farmers. 

"Large percentages of growers were already facing going out of business this year and with something like this, it could very easily be the nail in the coffin." 

Back in the pecan orchard, Hudson says they did not lose everything, but they do have a tough road ahead. 

"It won't pay the bills, it won't pay the expenses of this year's harvest, but at least we'll have something that we can sell," he said. 

Farmers in Georgia say they are in desperate need of immediate assistance after this devastating hurricane.