Hurricane Helene Halts Poultry Plants, Damages Cotton Crops
- Georgia expects more than $2.5 billion in agricultural damage
- Storm upended operations at Wayne-Sanderson, Pilgrim’s Pride
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Hurricane Helene has halted chicken processing plants and caused severe damage to some flocks, while also downing pecan trees and flattening cotton crops, as floodwaters swamped the southern US.
Every commodity was impacted, with cotton, pecans, poultry and timber the hardest hit, according to Matthew Agvest, communications director for the Georgia Department of Agriculture. While it’s still early in the assessment stage, the state expects Helene to be more costly than Hurricane Michael in 2018, which caused $2.5 billion in agricultural damage.