By Clint Thompson
Count pecans as one crop impacted by Hurricane Idalia’s trek through the Southeast. Trees toppled over. Limbs fell to the ground. Nuts were lost.
One of those farmers who suffered loss was Jimmy Ross, a Tift County producer in South Georgia. He said a small orchard off Chula-Whiddon Mill Road had multiple trees down following Wednesday’s storm that packed high wind speeds.
“I heard them say on T.V. that the further east the storm got, the more the wind would be coming from the north. It was really coming from the lower north across that open field,” Ross said. “Just looking from the road, we lost maybe four or five trees, and we had a couple that split off. It had a fantastic crop on them. I can see some nuts on the ground. I know I lost some trees over there.”
Ross had yet to check on his other orchards in Ty Ty and Turner County, approximately 80 to 90 total acres.
“I told Jason Brock down at the Experiment Station. I said, ‘Jason, if you make a mistake, all you do is get another piece of paper and write a requisition for money. Us growers have got to do business with the bank,’” Ross said. “I’m hoping that the price will be up this year. If it stays down like last year, you just can’t afford to do it the way prices and things are.”