Having just weathered pre-winter, sub-freezing temperatures, Florida's farms and groves are bracing for another cold encounter next week.
Though no official figures are yet available, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said that some $700 million in crops were put "at risk" by the first freeze, with an anticipated 2 percent loss.
The "Salad Bowl" around Lake Okeechobee shivered under low temperatures of 28 degrees early this week. One Belle Glade farm lost all 800 acres of its snap bean crop to the freeze, said Liz Compton, spokeswoman for DOACS.
Other vegetables -- notably cucumbers, squash and leafy greens -- are most susceptible to damage, Compton said.
The big chill was bracing, but not damaging, to citrus trees, said Doug Bournique of the Indian River Citrus League in Vero Beach.
"The cold gets trees to a dormant condition that prepares them" for future snaps, he said. "The trees are in good shape."
Andrew Meadows of Florida Citrus Mutual in Lakeland said, "We did have reports of mid-20s scattered across the citrus belt. Most of it was right before sunrise, so not long enough to do widespread damage."
Some growers reported cutting ice but, according to Meadows, "We came through in pretty good shape."
Stan Carter of McArthur Farms said that, as a rule, citrus groves can withstand 26-degree temperatures for 2-4 hours. Any amount of time below 24 degrees, however, is trouble, he said.
Facing a double whammy, farmers and grove owners are warily watching weather forecasts predicting another cold front by Monday. Some models indicate even frostier temperatures, while others envision a repeat performance.
Depending on wind conditions and availability of water, farmers and grove operators expect to employ flooding and sprinklers to ease the effects of the next round of cold weather.
Helicopters also are used to drive warmer air toward the ground.
But these efforts cost money and can even be dangerous. This week, three low-flying helicopters crashed in Palm Beach County fields, hospitalizing one of the pilots.
Bournique added that flooding groves with warmer canal water may not be an option in many areas that are drought-stricken.
As for other crops, the state's tomato exchange reported some damage, but nothing "devastating," Compton said.
The state's strawberries, meanwhile, appear to have weathered the first winter salvo relatively unscathed.
Compton said the early arrival of cold weather could mean slower growth "and maybe less of a harvest."
"We could have stunted produce that's delayed," she said. "All eyes are on next week."
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Reach Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
