Crop insurance payments surge with hurricanes

By Marc Heller | 10/16/2024 01:24 PM EDT

USDA said the subsidized crop insurance program is making hundreds of millions of dollars in hurricane-related payouts this year.

Oranges lay on the ground near a tree after hurricane Ian hit V.C. Holllingsworth's, III, orange groves on October 20, 2022 in Arcadia, Florida.

Oranges lie on the ground in Arcadia, Florida, after Hurricane Ian hit orange groves on Oct. 20, 2022. USDA says the federal crop insurance program paid out $266 million in 2022 for storm damages but will pay over $630 million this year. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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.

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