Hurricane Helene has caused widespread devastation in the southern United States, severely impacting agriculture by halting chicken processing plants, destroying crops, and toppling pecan trees. Flooding and strong winds from the storm have disrupted the region’s agricultural operations.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms announced on Instagram that its processing plant in Moultrie, Georgia, would remain closed on Monday. Meanwhile, Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., owned by JBS SA, suspended production at two of its facilities on Saturday due to widespread power outages, according to a statement issued to Bloomberg.
Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, bringing 140-mile-per-hour winds as it pushed inland. The storm flattened cotton fields and uprooted pecan trees in Georgia, in addition to leaving millions without power and taking more than 80 lives. States hit hardest by the storm included Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper reported “significant damage to agriculture in all commodities” during a press conference, highlighting the destruction to poultry farms, timber, and pecan trees. Many food processing and dairy facilities remain without power.
The damage caused by Hurricane Helene may further strain the nation’s poultry production, especially as demand continues to rise. Georgia and North Carolina are among the top chicken-producing states in the US.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, speaking at a press conference on Saturday, stated that 107 poultry facilities in the state had been either severely damaged or completely destroyed. He emphasized that “every commodity in the state has been affected” by the storm.
JBS spokeswoman Nikki Richardson acknowledged the severe losses, adding that the company was still assessing the full extent of the damage to poultry farms. “We know many birds have been lost in some areas and the damage to farms is significant,” she said.
The cotton industry has also suffered, with many growers reporting losses ranging from 35% to complete crop destruction, according to a Facebook post from the Georgia Cotton Commission. The post added that the impact of Helene will be felt for years, as cotton gins, agribusinesses, and rural communities struggle to recover from the storm’s aftermath.
