In this installment of the ‘Agronometrics In Charts’ series, Sarah Ilyas studies the impact of natural disasters on the US fresh produce Industry. Each week the series looks at a different horticultural commodity, focusing on a specific origin or topic visualizing the market factors that are driving change.

Natural disasters have continued to take a significant toll on U.S. agriculture, with fresh produce sectors facing extensive losses due to extreme weather events. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has been tracking crop and rangeland damage estimates since 2021, offering valuable insights into the scale of destruction. In 2024, unprecedented weather conditions led to billions in losses for farmers across the country, particularly impacting fruit, vegetable, and nut production.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, in 2024, a total of 27 weather disasters wreaked havoc across the nation, causing significant disruptions in domestic food production. According to estimates, total crop and rangeland losses exceeded $20.3 billion, with fresh produce accounting for a substantial share. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that excessive rainfall, flooding, hurricanes, drought, and wildfires were the primary causes of these losses.

California, the nation's leading producer of fruits, nuts, and vegetables, suffered approximately $1.4 billion in total crop losses with the state's fruit and nut industry suffering over $860 million in losses. Drought and heat-related damage accounted for $660 million of these losses, while excessive precipitation and flooding caused another $500 million in destruction. The fresh produce sector bore the brunt of these losses, with grapes suffering $272 million in losses.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.

(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

The 2024 hurricane season was among the most destructive in history, leading to widespread agricultural devastation across the Southeast. The most damaging storms, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, destroyed crops across Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina.

• Georgia: $49 million in blueberry losses
• Florida: $7 million in strawberry losses
• North Carolina: $13 million in blueberry losses
  

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Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.

(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.

(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

The destruction of fresh produce crops in the Southeast highlights the vulnerability of fruit and vegetable production to extreme weather conditions. Many farmers faced total crop failure, with fields submerged in floodwaters or damaged beyond recovery by high winds and excessive rainfall.

While flooding and hurricanes dominated headlines, drought and heat-related conditions led to the largest share of total crop losses in 2024, exceeding $11 billion. California, Texas, and the Midwest experienced prolonged dry spells, with extreme heatwaves compounding the damage.

Texas reported over $3.4 billion in total agricultural losses, with $768 million in forage and rangeland damage. Excessive heat and drought conditions affected more than 66% of Texas' total losses, impacting fresh produce availability across the country.

With climate change contributing to more frequent and severe weather events, fresh produce farmers must adapt to evolving risks. Strategies such as drought-resistant crop varieties, improved irrigation techniques, and expanded insurance options could help mitigate future losses. Additionally, increased investment in infrastructure, such as flood barriers and windbreaks, may reduce the vulnerability of specialty crop farms to extreme weather events.

As the 2025 growing season begins, farmers remain on high alert, preparing for another year of unpredictable conditions. The lessons learned from 2024 underscore the need for proactive measures to safeguard the future of fresh produce production in the United States.

In our ‘In Charts’ series, we work to tell some of the stories that are moving the industry. Feel free to take a look at the other articles by clicking here.

All pricing for domestic US produce represents the spot market at Shipping Point (i.e. packing house/climate controlled warehouse, etc.). For imported fruit, the pricing data represents the spot market at Port of Entry. You can keep track of the markets daily through Agronometrics, a data visualization tool built to help the industry make sense of the huge amounts of data that professionals need to access to make informed decisions. If you found the information and the charts from this article useful, feel free to visit us at www.agronometrics.com where you can easily access these same graphs, or explore the other 21 commodities we currently track.