Farmers warn of rising food prices as extreme conditions threaten supply: 'It's been bone dry down here for the past two months'

Yahoo

27-05-2025

Farmers in Florida are facing difficulties due to extreme weather events in the region. As a result, they're warning consumers that they could see higher food prices soon.
According to Blue Book, recent weather in Florida has growers in the region concerned about their crops.
Currently, temperatures are moving into the 90s, and there has been little rain in recent months, as well as none forecast in the near future. Growers are preoccupied with the 2025 hurricane season, which early forecasts predict will see above-average activity.
As a result of these conditions and potentially volatile months ahead, crops in the region — including beans, bell peppers, and squash — could feel the squeeze, causing food prices to rise.
Those growing citrus aren't faring much better, either.
Fox Weather reported that last year's hurricane season caused a drop in citrus crops. Meanwhile, 82% of the state is currently in a drought, while 16% is in extreme drought, significantly affecting crops. Citrus growers also have to contend with a disease known as citrus greening, which can kill off citrus trees.
Citrus grower Trevor Murphy told Fox Weather, "It's been bone dry down here for the past two months. We've received one inch of rain, and that was over a month ago."
As global temperatures continue to rise, more extreme weather, such as droughts and hurricanes, will decrease crop yields and affect consumers.
Fewer yields mean fewer food items at the grocery store, which also means that what food is on the shelves will increase in price. Plus, if farmers lose money on crops or have to up their investment to grow the crops needed, prices will increase even more.
Growers in Florida may even begin to cease operations, much like Alico Inc., which decided to shut down citrus growing operations at the beginning of 2025. Fewer growers result in fewer jobs and less produce; less produce affects not only the availability of fruits and vegetables on the shelves but also products made with this produce.
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There's the damage droughts and hurricanes can cause to the environment to consider, too, such as worse soil to grow in, less water for crops, and fields of ruined crops with which to contend.
Citrus growers in the state might see help in the near future, as the state Senate has put forth a proposal that would set aside $200 million for the cost of new citrus trees, testing varieties of disease-resistant citrus, and improving grove management.
As for other crop growers, scientists have been hard at work exploring ways to make crops more climate-resilient, how to grow crops with less water, and more.
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