After last summer’s devastating drought that crippled production nationwide, many Americans may be shocked to learn that farmers are now struggling with heavy rains, which are also severely damaging production.
Last summer’s drought was one of the worst in recent memory. With rainfall down to record lows and temperatures shooting up to record highs, fields baked and crops withered. Without crop insurance protection, many farmers may have been forced out of business.
This summer, however, many farmers faced a curious inverse of last year’s weather. Heavy rains pummeled many parts of the country throughout the spring and summer, drenching fields, drowning crops, and halting production.
In South Carolina, for example, heavy rains have severely damaged 30 percent of the crops in more than two-thirds of the state’s counties. Governor Nikki Haley has compared the rainfall to damage ordinarily seen in a tornado or hurricane. In Virginia, Farm Bureau officials report nixed reactions to heavy rain. While corn production may go up, other crops are having a difficult time being harvested thanks to the saturated fields.
In many communities, local officials are asking Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to send emergency aid to farmers, claiming that the losses are similar to more traditional natural disasters.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer