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Hurricane Irma delivers serious punch to Florida agriculture

Posted at 7:35 AM, Sep 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-13 07:35:40-04

LEE COUNTY, Fla.-- Hurricane Irma delivered a serious punch to Florida agriculture, but producers and officials have only barely begun to assess the damage to the state's citrus, sugar cane and vegetable crops.
    
With power and communications still out across much of Florida, officials say getting a full picture of Irma's impact is going to take weeks - but they expect it will be significant.
    
What remains unknown: Exactly how much damage the crops suffered, how much producers might recover from crop insurance, and how much more people might pay for their morning orange juice.
    
Mark Hudson of the National Agricultural Statistics Service says agents have just started evaluating the losses, if they can even get out into the field