According to data from the US Census Bureau, between 2017 and 2020, the United States saw a steady increase in the number of breweries. This drive can be credited to trends in the craft beer movement, and now breweries outnumber wineries, despite the latter also increasing during that time period. 1 One way to capitalize on this trend is identify markets that are primed for brewery growth.

On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael roared ashore near Mexico Beach, Florida, as a Category 5 storm. With winds exceeding 160 miles per hour and a devastating storm surge, it tore through Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, and beyond. It left a catastrophic imprint on the region’s agriculture, particularly on one of its most vulnerable crops: cotton. October is a crucial month for cotton farmers in the Southeast.