American Pecan Council Releases Initial Estimate by Land IQ of Hurricane Helene Damage to Pecan Industry

American Pecan Council Releases Initial Estimate by Land IQ of Hurricane Helene Damage to Pecan Industry

Following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene on pecan growers in Georgia and Florida, the American Pecan Council enlisted Land IQ, a company with expertise in land use mapping, to evaluate the damage.

The agreement between APC and Land IQ includes production of two separate estimate reports, one of which was recently completed. This first report is based on a model of variables occurring during the hurricane, such as wind speed, land path and on-the-ground observations, and was compared to a similar analysis that Land IQ conducted for APC following Hurricane Michael several years ago. This first report is considered a “rough” estimate, and it will be followed by a more comprehensive report utilizing high-resolution satellite imagery. The second report is expected in mid-November.

Given the significant impacts this hurricane had on both Georgia and Florida growers and the overall expected yield of the U.S. crop, we are releasing this report to the public. It is important to remember that this report is based on a limited set of variables and does not reflect the specific damage to individual orchards’ current or future crops. It is intended to provide a first glimpse at the impact, which ultimately will take months to understand completely.

You can find the report HERE. Key findings include:

Land IQ predicts in this report that 58,009 acres in Georgia and Florida are affected (approx. 54.5K and 3.5K, respectively). (They define “affected acres” as those experiencing at least 20% tree loss and, due to debris, are unlikely to be harvested.)

Land IQ estimates that between 70% and 79% of the predicted 2024 pecan yield remains potentially harvestable in the state of Georgia. In Florida, between 48% and 66% of the predicted 2024 pecan yield remains potentially harvestable.

Questions about this report can be directed to [email protected]

“The American Pecan Council is committed to marketing and research efforts that support the sustainable profitability of the pecan industry. Following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene, APC invested in this report and the forthcoming report to bring increased clarity to the needs facing Georgia and Florida pecan growers and help the entire industry and its customers react to the losses to this year’s crop. We stand in support of growers in the East and across the nation facing difficult conditions, and we will work even harder to bring increased attention to the original supernut.” -Anne Warden, CEO of American Pecan Council and American Pecan Promotion Board.