Helene Closes Poultry Plants and Disrupts Cotton Production in Southeastern US, Reports Reuters

By Tom Polansek

CHICAGO – Hurricane Helene has had a significant impact on poultry production in Georgia and North Carolina, leading to the closure of at least two processing plants and damaging cotton crops in South Carolina, according to company and agriculture officials.

The powerful storm, which made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, has been linked to over 100 fatalities across multiple states as it moved through Georgia and into the Carolinas.

Wayne-Sanderson Farms, one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S., shut down its facility in Moultrie, Georgia, due to a loss of electricity caused by downed transmission lines. Company spokesman Frank Singleton indicated that the plant typically processes 1.3 million chickens each week, and its ability to resume operations is contingent on power restoration efforts by local utility crews. Singleton also mentioned that the company is delivering fuel to local farms that experienced power outages.

In South Carolina, many poultry operations are relying on backup generators, according to Eva Moore, spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. She noted that the state’s cotton crops have also been significantly affected, with "open bolls knocked around and plants twisted," complicating the upcoming harvest and potentially altering the quality of the cotton produced.

Concerns about crop damage in critical agricultural regions have contributed to rising cotton futures in the market.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Smithfield Foods, the largest pork processor in the world, reported that transportation for its hog production operations has been impacted, though the company did not experience major disruptions. A poultry processing plant near Morganton is currently non-operational, according to Bob Ford, executive director of the North Carolina Poultry Federation. However, he remarked that the overall poultry industry fared relatively well, as feed mills remain operational and flooding has not severely affected farms.

Ford noted that live chickens in the Morganton area will simply continue to grow until the processing plant reopens, which is expected to happen possibly by Wednesday.