We all knew that the cold weather we had a few weeks ago was a bit too much. We even realized that it was colder than it ever usually is. We didn’t, however, realize that we were facing a disaster situation until all the crops began to die.

Normally when the freezing weather returns every winter it never really drops below freezing too long, nor does it last many consecutive days. They say that crops begin to die if their internal temperature drops to 28 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours or more at any given point. Well, the beginning of January was a rough one for much of Florida. We generally only get a few days a year that happen to even reach the freezing point, but this year Bay County had 14 days straight of below freezing temperature, which destroyed many of our crops.

We all knew the freezing weather felt horrible and that it could destroy crops, but it really didn’t start hitting home until we realized that the temperatures just were never going to return to normal. Charlie Crist  asked for disaster declaration for all of Florida’s 67 counties, but it was granted to only 60 of them. So, basically the whole state was and still is faced with the crop dilemma. I noticed it myself today at the grocery store when I hated the berry section. Blueberries typically at $3-4 were at $5 and some change. But the strawberries that normally range just a little more than the blueberries were topping the charts at $8.50. I had to skip the strawberries this time. So, Florida’s crops are devastated and those South American strawberry farms can’t compete with the prices we’re used to paying. Everyone loses here.