Winter Storm Uri, which blasted through the entire state of Texas, caused at least $600 million in agricultural losses, according to preliminary data from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agricultural economists.
“A large number of Texas farmers, ranchers and others involved in commercial agriculture and agricultural production were seriously affected by Winter Storm Uri,” said Dr. Jeff Hyde, AgriLife Extension director. “Freezing temperatures and ice killed or harmed many of their crops and livestock as well as causing financial hardships and operational setbacks. And the residual costs from the disaster could plague many producers for years to come.”
AgriLife Extension estimates of some of the state’s biggest agricultural losses by commodity were:
• Citrus crops—at least $230 million;
• Livestock—at least $228 million; and
• Vegetable crops—at least $150 million.
“The data we used to determine these agricultural losses came from farmers, ranchers and other commercial producers throughout the state as well as others involved in or supporting production agriculture in Texas,” said Dr. Mark Waller, associate head of Texas A&M University’s Department of Agricultural Economics.
Dr. Monty Dozier, AgriLife Extension program director for disaster assessment and recovery, said the data related to agricultural losses was acquired through the agency’s extensive statewide network of agents and specialists.
“Our people collaborated with agricultural industry groups and other stakeholders to get the most accurate and up-to-date information available at this time,” Dozier said. “Then the information was assembled and analyzed by agricultural economists and other agricultural experts from Texas A&M AgriLife using a standardized approach.”
Waller said currently the agency can only provide a general range of loss or estimated overall loss for the state’s agricultural sectors.
“There are still many as yet unknown and lingering effects of Winter Storm Uri,” he said. “What we can say is these figures are conservative and we expect more losses as a long-term effect of this disaster.”
Livestock losses will linger
Livestock losses include not only cattle, sheep and goats and their offspring that died or were badly injured during the freeze, but also damage to the livestock industry infrastructure, said Dr. David Anderson, AgriLife Extension livestock economist.
Anderson noted the livestock loss estimate also included initial poultry losses and costs related to bird loss, damage to housing facilities and increased heating costs to keep the animals warm.
“Beef cattle losses include estimated value of death losses, additional feed use, lost winter small grain grazing, lost weights and feed efficiency in feedlots, and losses due to delayed marketing,” he said. “Sheep and goat losses include estimated death losses, and dairy losses include cattle death loss, lost milk production and the value of milk dumped due to transportation problems and processing delays.”
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said some Texas dairy operations were losing as much as $8 million a day because trucks were unable to pick up and deliver milk for processing.
Dozier said the loss of power across the state also cut into the agriculture sector’s bottom line through disruptions in processing operations and the agricultural supply chain.
Anderson, who collaborated with Dr. Justin Benavidez, AgriLife Extension economist, said the overall livestock loss for Winter Storm Uri is estimated to be around $228 million.
“A rancher will typically feed two or more round bales per cow during winter, so if hay isn’t available, they still have to purchase some type of supplemental feed—and all this is costly,” Benavidez said. “You also have to consider any physical damage to the operation as well as additional costs such as extra fuel or electricity to run heaters to keep the animals warm.”
Benavidez also noted that because the storm hit during calving season, many newborn cattle were not able to survive the cold. Many lambs and kids were also lost due to the freezing weather.
“However, those overall livestock losses could have been far worse had it not been for the quick action by ranchers before the temperatures reached freezing,” Benavidez said.
Anderson noted that livestock producers who lost animals to the storm in effect not only lost a single generation but also potential subsequent generations of their offspring.
“It will take some time before many producers are able to replace their livestock,” he said. “And when they do, it’s going to be costly.”
Dozier said another loss that hasn’t be accounted for in these figures is the Texas exotic animal industry, which reported many animals died due to the winter storm. The full impact on this industry will not be known for several weeks as sick animals struggle to recover.
Assistance for producers
“While assistance for producers should soon be on the way from the December 2020 COVID stimulus, it’s still too early to tell if the federal government will provide additional targeted assistance in the form of direct disaster relief,” said Dr. Bart Fischer, director of Texas A&M University’s Agricultural and Food Policy Center.
However, he said, there are a number of existing programs in place that producers can access, depending upon the problems encountered. By far, the most popular tool is the Federal Crop Insurance Program. For crops with no crop insurance, there is the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program available through the local Farm Service Agency.
“The Livestock Indemnity Program and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee and Farm-raised Fish Program reimburse producers for a portion of the value of livestock, poultry and other animals killed or badly injured by a natural disaster or loss of feed,” Fischer said.
For information on disaster preparation, assistance and recovery from winter storms, AgriLife Extension offers a number of educational materials through the Texas Extension Disaster Network website at www.texashelp.tamu.edu. — Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
