South Florida farmers say heavy rain is jeopardizing crops

Homestead farmer says flooding is affecting 75 percent of crops

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Some farms in Homestead are underwater as record rainfall is flooding fields and damaging crops.

"It's been a total disaster really," farmer Sal Finocchiaro said. "It will probably affect 75 percent of everything we have."

"How much do you stand to lose?" Local 10 News reporter Ben Kennedy asked.

"Probably in the area of $2 to $3 million," he said.

Finocchiaro at S&L Beans said this is the worst he's seen during December, and he's now got 3 to 400 acres of squash and beans that are in danger.

"Some places, the big squash plants this tall are under water. (It) depends where you are at," he said.

Rain continues to hit Homestead and it looks like crews are working quickly to try and harvest as much as they can to fill their bins with fresh vegetables.

"On a freeze, we can put down frost protection (and) sprinklers, this here you can't do anything. Just wait for it to stop and drain out," Finocchiaro said.

The rainfall isn't just affecting farmers. The State Farmers Market was practically a ghost town Tuesday. The warehouses are usually filled with fresh produce that it brought in before being shipped to grocery stores around the country.

"We're taking hour and half lunch breaks now, and we're trying to get trucks to come in here and pick up what little left we have," Pete Johnson of Quality First Produce said.

Miami-Dade County is holding a public meeting on Thursday with local farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to discuss the issue. If a state of emergency is declared, the county will receive federal funding from the government to help the farmers.

 


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