Winter Storm Uri Delivered $600 Million Blow to Texas Agriculture

Winter Storm Uri, which in mid-February delivered subfreezing temperatures and winter precipitation to areas like South Texas where those conditions are a rarity, caused at least $600 million in crop and livestock losses, according to recent data. The state’s citrus and vegetable crops incurred $230 million and $150 million in damage, respectively, while the livestock sector saw $228 million in losses. Some citrus producers in the Rio Grande Valley, for example, lost entire orange crops and almost two thirds of their grapefruit crops. And that’s just the initial assessment; state Extension leaders involved in tallying up the losses say the process remains underway, many of those losses won’t be fully known for some time and current estimates are “conservative” given the long-term implications won’t be fully known until later this year. See more on the storm’s effects.