When catastrophic flooding occurs, the potential losses don’t just involve no-tilled crops, but the soil as well. Farmers in the southeastern U.S. are taking stock after Hurricane Helene drop trillions of gallons of water on a path from the Florida Panhandle through the Carolinas into Georgia

USDA estimates there are more than 38,000 crop insurance policies, covering more than 4.8 million acres, in place in the affected areas.

The storm devastated key row crops, including cotton, corn and soybeans. Counties in the affected areas produce nearly $700 million in cotton, $400 million in corn, and $180 million in soybeans annually, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation analysis. 

Cotton, in particular, had only just begun harvest when Helene hit and was vulnerable to wind damage, with reports of flattened fields and tangled bolls making it difficult to harvest. This will not only reduce yields but also lower fiber quality, further affecting market prices, experts said.

Inundated fields and the actions of flooding can strip away much of the valuable topsoil, leafing fields waterlogged and barren. New erosion problems could crop up where they didn’t exist before. Disease and weed pressure could increase and nutrient balances may be disturbed, causing potential problems for the next crop.

A tip sheet from Penn State University published this fall says plant death of soybeans and corn typically does not happen if the soil is drained within 96 hours of the flooding event. But significant lodging may prevent the crop from being harvested. Crop quality…