MYAKKA CITY, Fla. – The impact of the recent hurricanes is clearly visible in the coastal communities of Tampa Bay and in so many populated neighborhoods. ABC Action News went to Myakka City to speak with a rancher and learn how the recent storms have affected the ranching community that plays such an important role in the state of Florida.
Jim Strickland is a rancher who manages several ranches ranging from Ocala to DeSoto County.
“We’re at Big Red Cattle Company, right in the middle of Manatee County. We were hit pretty hard there,” Strickland said. “Two of our ranches closer to the coast along the I-75 corridor look like war zones.”
“Our number one issue, the number one thing we’re taking care of after our people and animals are safe, is making sure all of our fencing is up on the ranches,” Strickland said.
He drove us around the ranch to show us the work they have done since Hurricanes Helene and Milton passed through.
“And I mean, the day after the hurricane, everyone knows if their families are okay, we all have to go to work and you can see how many trees we removed,” Strickland said.
The rancher explained that this is to protect the livestock inside the fence and the people outside of it. Ranches flooded by the hurricanes face a variety of problems.
“If you have a flood, you can’t get to your crop. If there is flooding, you cannot bale hay. When there is flooding, your cows are sometimes in the water for days,” Strickland said.
“Are you seeing those long-term effects in your livestock, or did you see that after (Hurricane) Ian?” asked St. Germain.
‘Yes, after Ian, and especially after Milton. We got so much that we almost forgot about Helene because we had a lot of wind damage, but we had a ton of rain. So we’ve been examining cattle for foot rot, which means our cows have been in the water for that long and we’ve opened every gate on every farm where we can get those cattle to higher ground,” Strickland said.
Strickland took ABC Action News around the rest of the property and pointed out piles of trees left over from Hurricane Ian and damage from Hurricane Milton.
“Is it hard to picture these piles of trees, knowing that this is one of your commodities here?” asked St. Germain.
“Oh, sure. It’s gone. I mean, it’s gone. And then you think of people who have nothing but wood. Their whole life is over,” Strickland said.
“What is the long-term impact of storms like Milton, Helene, Idalia, Ian… on farmers?” asked St. Germain.
“Well, it’s kind of tough because the long-term impact is still ongoing, all the way back to Hurricane Ian.
Strickland explains that farmers may qualify for money from the FSA (Farm Service Agency) or the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) in lieu of FEMA.
“During Hurricane Ian, we had almost $1,000,000 in documented damage. Two years later, we’re still waiting,” Strickland said, “so those long-term effects are very tough because sometimes you have to survive before you get paid.”
“You have to understand that we may lose thousands of trees here, but they are also very important to us because that is our income stream. Whether they are pine trees or orange trees. If we lose those trees – citrus, pine or any crop, our revenue stream is gone,” Strickland said.
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