University of Florida scientists assess crop damage after Hurricane Ian

Gainesville, Florida. Scientists at the University of Florida will use the technology to determine the exact amount of damage to fruits and vegetables caused by extreme weather events.

When Hurricane Yang hit, it caused billions of dollars worth of damage to crops and livestock. The goal of the project is to develop a computer model to determine the exact number of damaged or dead crops. These numbers are critical for farmers to know their losses so they can file insurance claims and seek help to recover.

The project has already received a grant of almost $300,000 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Over the next few months, the UF team will collect aerial and ground images of fruit from farms in South and Central Florida. Six to eight months after collecting the first round of data, the scientists will return to the same farms to collect more images and data. The technology will then be able to automatically recognize and detect damaged crops in the plots.