Hurricane Milton impacted 51 counties in Florida on October 9^th. Damage required 34 disaster declarations. The citrus, pecan and cotton crops were seriously affected and peanuts, rice, fruit. Were destroyed. Torrential flooding disrupted ongoing agricultural operations including dairy and resulted in widespread and disruptive power outages.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimates damage at between $1.5 and $2.5 billion, although not all impacts has been documented requiring subsequent assessment.  In contrast to row crop farmers, the poultry industry was largely spared from catastrophic damage.