The federal crop insurance program is on track to pay farmers more than $630 million this year for damage inflicted by hurricanes and tropical storms, by far the most since a hurricane-specific program began in 2020.
The Department of Agriculture said insurance providers will soon pay farmers more than $233 million for damage related to Hurricane Helene alone, as the federal crop insurance program responds to a robust tropical storm season.
The announcement doesn’t include Hurricane Milton, which tore through Central Florida on Oct. 10, hitting citrus and other crops.
Georgia tops the list for Helene-related payments, at $207.7 million, the USDA said.