Drought shrivels Tennessee crops, farm profits
Aug 16, 2007—Complaining about the weather may be a pastime as old as farming itself, but this year, farmers have reason to be worried, meteorologists and agriculture experts say. A harsh April freeze and a dry spring have combined to create difficult conditions throughout Tennessee's $20 billion agriculture industry — from the winter wheat and hay that farmers are just beginning to harvest to the soybeans and tobacco plants they are trying to get in the ground. "This is probably one of the worst years ever with the double whammy of the freeze and the dry weather," said Ken Givens, the state's agriculture commissioner. The drought continues even after last week's thunderstorms, which were expected to bring one-half to three-quarters of an inch of rain to communities around Middle Tennessee. But rainfall in the region is about 9 inches less than usual, putting the area in a moderate to severe drought, according to meteorologists. As a result, Tennessee's 82,000 farms are facing tough choices about whether to plant now or delay in the hope of more rain and whether to irrigate or do without. And as the calendar turns to mid-June, time runs short. Tennessee farmers are struggling with how to handle the conditions. Extension agents report that some farmers are delaying soybean and tobacco planting in hopes that rain will moisten the soil and give young crops a better shot at survival. Meanwhile, with hay yields low, some cattle farmers are reducing their herds.
Aug 16, 2007—Complaining about the weather may be a pastime as old as farming itself, but this year, farmers have reason to be worried, meteorologists and agriculture experts say. A harsh April freeze and a dry spring have combined to create difficult conditions throughout Tennessee's $20 billion agriculture industry — from the winter wheat and hay that farmers are just beginning to harvest to the soybeans and tobacco plants they are trying to get in the ground. "This is probably one of the worst years ever with the double whammy of the freeze and the dry weather," said Ken Givens, the state's agriculture commissioner. The drought continues even after last week's thunderstorms, which were expected to bring one-half to three-quarters of an inch of rain to communities around Middle Tennessee. But rainfall in the region is about 9 inches less than usual, putting the area in a moderate to severe drought, according to meteorologists. As a result, Tennessee's 82,000 farms are facing tough choices about whether to plant now or delay in the hope of more rain and whether to irrigate or do without. And as the calendar turns to mid-June, time runs short. Tennessee farmers are struggling with how to handle the conditions. Extension agents report that some farmers are delaying soybean and tobacco planting in hopes that rain will moisten the soil and give young crops a better shot at survival. Meanwhile, with hay yields low, some cattle farmers are reducing their herds.
