REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- Hurricane Helene was the fourth natural disaster to hit Florida's Full Circle Dairy in 13 months, but this one had the biggest impact on the operation located in the northern part of the state in Lee.
"This time, the good Lord was watching out for us," said Philip Watts. The Watts family are managing partners at the dairy. "We have learned how to prepare for these kinds of storms, but we never really know what to expect."
He said they are thankful for Helene coming after the farm had already dealt with two other hurricanes and a tornado because they have learned how to prepare better. The force of Helene was the strongest they've seen and caused three-fourths of one of their free stall barns, which houses 800 cows, to collapse. Significant storm damage was seen to their commodity barn holding feedstuffs too.
Since they provide milk for the fluid market, the 3,700 cows get milked three times per day. During the storm, they wanted to continue milking as long as possible to prevent the cows from getting off schedule, but once it became too dangerous for the cows and those working, they all hunkered down.
"We were milking group three at the time the storm started getting bad. The gate had been opened for group four to come to the holding pen. It is a good thing we opened that gate," Watts said. "When we decided to stop and ride out the storm is when the barn collapsed. That's the barn that houses groups three and four. There's really no explanation for why group four decided to move themselves out of that barn. Cows don't normally like to go out into a storm with high winds and rain, but they did. The good Lord was watching over us and prevented a bigger catastrophe."
HURRICANE PREPARATION AND DAMAGE
When Hurricane Helene made landfall late on Sept. 26, it was considered a Category 4 hurricane with winds up to 140 mph and hit a major dairy-producing area of Florida.
Watts had been watching how the storm was moving, which appeared to be east until it hit land. The dairy got hit with the northeast part of the storm, and they rode out the right side of the eye wall, which he said tends to be the strongest. The wind blew from the east and then the south, which did most of the damage. Prior storms helped give them perspective on how to prepare. They prepared by adding extra sand to the plastic covering the hay and straw to prevent the feed from being ruined or blown away. Small and light items were picked up or secured. Due to losing several fans from previous hurricane winds, they went through the barns and zip tied nearly 900 fans to prevent damage. They rely on fans to keep cows cool and comfortable throughout the year.
Generators are used to keep the milking center in operation during loss of power and to keep the water system flowing. Recycled water is used to clean barn floors. A generator keeps the water flowing and at a consistent level when electricity is out and during a storm causing excess water capture.
The loss of the commodity barn also led to some loss of feedstuffs stored there. A week's worth of corn and soybean meal, soy hulls, molasses and mineral are kept on hand, but due to the impending storm, more was on hand than normal. Silage is stored in 12-by-500-foot bags. Several had damage from tin that had been flying around in the storm. Three months' worth of feed was damaged. After the storm, 12 rolls of silage tape were used to repair the bags in hopes of saving the feed.
The area where Full Circle Dairy is located is mostly agricultural ground, and farmers saw extensive damage to their crops as well. Corn had been previously harvested, and Sudan grass and Sunn hemp, which was planted in those fields, saw damage. Watts expects to get about half the tonnage of what they would normally get for feed when it is harvested off the 600 acres.
Additionally, they work with a neighboring farming operation to rotate crops on the farm. They have 800 acres of peanuts, which will be stunted in growth due to plant damage and loss of irrigation pivots to water the crop. Only four of 16 pivots on the farm remained standing after the storm. It will take time to pick up the destruction.
Watts said while the cows are usually very resilient, they have seen the most decrease in milk production due to this storm stress that they have ever seen.
"Cow care, comfort and safety are our No. 1 priority. We've been working on making sure fans and misters are still going and fresh sand is in the stalls," he said. "But when the barn went down, we had to split cows up into other groups. Heifers were moved around as well. We had to increase stocking density, and that can always cause a decrease in production. But we are fortunate to have these animals because it could've been a lot worse."
LOOKING FORWARD
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, along with state Sens. Ben Albritton and Corey Simon, visited Full Circle Dairy to assess the damage from Helene to the farm and surrounding area. Watts said it was an honor to have them stop at their operation, and he was assured they were impressed by how they continued to work through the storm.
"They took value in us and took the time to see what we have dealt with and what we need to move forward," he said. "It's clear we have their support."
Since the storm, Commissioner Simpson has announced Florida farmers, ranchers, and growers affected by Hurricane Helene can apply for interest-free loans through the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program.
"Swift and meaningful action is crucial in aiding our farmers, ranchers, and growers in their recovery from Hurricane Helene, especially in a region that is still recovering from Idalia and Debby," Commissioner Simpson said in a news release. "We are very proud to have been able to get our first loan fully approved through the department's Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program just eight days after the storm made landfall. We know our farmers are hurting, and we are doing all we can on the state level to make up for serious federal negligence."
Moving forward, Watts said he is most concerned with keeping affordable insurance at the farm.
"We've had so many storms in the past 13 months and several insurance claims. We are concerned with holding the insurance needed to stay in operation. It's risk versus reward, and we need to be covered," he added.
The team at Full Circle Dairy continues picking up the pieces after the storm. Watts said he's proud of how his team stayed safe while keeping the cows safe. Even during the losses that have occurred over the past year, they stay optimistic.
"We know we have had loss, but it could have been much worse. We look at it as the glass is half full. It's half full of milk," he said with a laugh.
For information on the loan program, visit: https://www.fdacs.gov/…. For other disaster resources, visit: https://www.floridacattlemen.org/….
Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com
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