How Florida Farms Weathered Tropical Punch from Hurricane Isaias [PHOTOS]
October 26, 2026 The first hurricane of the abnormally quiet 2026 Atlantic hurricane season didn’t form until earlier this month! That odd feat is one for the record books in the satellite era. But as quick as Hurricane Isaias spun up into a major hurricane over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it moved on with haste after making landfall as a Category 2 storm near Destin, FL. Though extreme wind and rain effects of Hurricane Isaias weren’t long-lasting while it churned northward through Florida’s Panhandle and beyond, there was still plenty to clean up afterward. Farm operations in the storm’s path sustained damages to crops, equipment, and structures alike. Row crops like cotton and peanuts were heavily impacted, according to reports. Check out a photo gallery of images captured at several farm operations around the Florida Panhandle following Hurricane Isaias. Thank you to Florida Farm Bureau Federation for submitting the photos!
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About 400 miles away in Central Florida, persistent heavy rainfall events starting in late September through Isaias disrupted the cucumber harvest for Great Scott Farms (formerly Long & Scott Farms) in Mt. Dora. According to Owner Hank Scott, the Florida crop of ‘Kirby’ cucumbers is expected to be very short. “We got hurt pretty bad by that last rain and we lost probably one third of our crop due to that event,” Scott stated in a news release. “The remaining acreage is what we are pushing to get ready and hopefully will finish the season on a good note.”
Anyone for a pickling cucumber? Here’s an up-close look at one of the things Great Scott Farms is well known for.
Photo by Paul Rusnak
Normally, Scott’s cucumber harvest would run until the end of November. The prolific rainfall, however, thwarted the efforts. “You try to not pick in the rain,” Scott added. “But when they’re ready, you have to pick them or you lose them. It’s a Catch-22 — we got some good out of it but we also lost the second, third, and fourth picks on some of them.”
UF/IFAS’ Food and Resource Economics Department is still working on its Assessment Survey of Agricultural Losses resulting from Hurricane Isaias. The department’s Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) will generate a report based on the feedback received. To participate in the EIAP survey, CLICK HERE.
For farmers who were impacted by Hurricane Isaias, there is help available. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced Florida farmers, ranchers, and growers impacted by Hurricane Isaias can apply for interest-free loans through the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program. Eligible agriculture and aquaculture producers can apply for loans of up to $500,000 to restore, repair, or replace essential physical property, including fences, equipment, greenhouses, and other buildings, or to remove debris or restock aquaculture.
According to FDACS, in order to qualify, the damaged property must be located in Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla, or Washington counties.
Impacted producers are encouraged to take photos of any property damage sustained and to save all receipts for recovery efforts and supplies. Specific details on the application process are available HERE.
If you have any storm damage photos you’d like to share, email them to me at [email protected].
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