Florida storm crops miss out

Government-backed insurance plans in the US help compensate farmers for losses after natural disasters. Unfortunately for the produce growers who were ravaged by recent hurricanes, a lot of the nation’s vegetable and fruit crops aren’t covered.

Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, which devastated parts of Florida, Texas and the Gulf Coast, also hit some of the nation’s least-insured crops, based on data the US Department of Agriculture released in a report. Nationwide, only 16% of peppers and 2% of strawberries, both key Florida products, are covered by insurance.

“Extreme weather events are coming more often, and farmers do need tools”, said Krysta Harden, a former deputy secretary of the USDA, who’s now the chief sustainability officer and vice president for public policy for the agriculture division of DowDuPont.