Terence McElroy, communications director for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said it will be another week before officials know the total damage.

"We will have lost at least 30 percent of our crops," McElroy said. "Some sectors will be over, some will be under."

Fortunately for North Florida, the loss does not seem to be that great. McElroy said most of the crops grown in this region, such as cabbage, greens and potatoes, can handle the cold temperatures.

Brent Farrington, Tri-B Nursery Inc. general manager, said the Quincy operation gets concerned when the temperature falls below 25 degrees, but their plants appear to be fine.

"We haven't seen anything that looks damaged," Farrington said, explaining that they protected their plants by covering them with frost blankets, using the ground temperature to keep the plants warm. "Most of the damage from the freeze we'll see in March and April."

Farther south, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and citrus will take a substantial hit.

Mack Glass, citrus grower in Jackson County, said he and fellow growers are optimistic that they got through the weather pretty well.

"We saw some minor damage to the new small twigs on the trees, but we won't really be able to tell until the trees begin to bloom again in the spring," Glass said. "Once we see how they are growing, we will do some pruning from there."

Glass explained that their satsuma crop had been harvested early November to mid-December.

McElroy said other citrus growers began to cut into their fruit and found slush and ice. Although it can no longer be used fresh, if quickly picked the fruit is fine for juice. To ensure the fruit is processed quickly, Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order relaxing weight limits and other restrictions for trucks, a request of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson.

"This freezing weather has created a serious situation for our state's agricultural producers, who now must rush to harvest their crops to prevent further losses," Bronson said. "The temporary easing of highway restrictions enables farmers to more quickly transport their crops to processing facilities and help avoid financial disaster."

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20100115/BUSINESS/1150333/1003/business/North+Florida+farms+OK+after+freeze