Storm-Ready Starts Now

I was watching the Today Show on Friday, and the hosts were talking hurricane preparedness—reminding folks to stock up on supplies and have a plan. And it hit me: that’s a conversation we need to be having in agriculture, too.

In the Southeast, hurricanes aren’t rare. We average more than two landfalls a year. And with warming ocean temperatures, these storms are becoming slower, stronger, and a lot more damaging. That kind of pressure makes planning not just smart—but necessary.

Thankfully, the USDA Southeast Climate Hub has put together a solid resource specifically for cotton producers. It’s a guide that walks through the full timeline: how to build long-term resilience into your operation, what to check monthly during hurricane season, what to do in the days before a storm, and how to respond after the winds die down.

Even though it’s cotton-focused, the concepts are valuable across ag. It also includes ready-to-use templates for a farm emergency plan and emergency contacts list—things you’ll be glad you filled out before the storm hits.

You can find the guide online at:

https://cotton.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Cotton-Producers-Guide_SE-030221.pdf?fwd=no