According to the Tampa Tribune, which cited figures from the state's agriculture commission, 30 percent of Florida's crops may have been ruined because of freezing weather. The crop losses, according to Charles Bronson, who is the commissioner of the commission, could come to cost the industry millions of dollars.
However, some of the state's crops may have escaped the damage. For example, the paper noted that strawberry growers watered their crops quite a bit, which helped create a protective layer of ice around the berries.
"In terms of saving the crop, we feel pretty lucky when compared to some other crops in Florida," Ted Campbell, executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, told the Tribune.
Florida is not alone when it comes to weather-related difficulties for crops. Increased precipitation led to harvest delays in a number of areas in the country, including the Midwest. Despite this, 2009 saw a record production for corn and soybeans.
