Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
Hurricane Irene devastated crops in eastern North Carolina over the weekend. Commissioner Troxler visited eastern counties after the storm and talked to Rhonda about what he saw.
Eastern North Carolina accounts for about 75 percent of ag production in the state, Troxler says, and the storm had a severe impact on crops. The tobacco crop in particular was heavily damaged by wind and water.
He says that while agricultural infrastructure seemed to come out of the storm OK overall, there is a big concern about lack of power. Some generators were overwhelmed by flooding, while others failed, causing problems on poultry farms.
Troxler says the timing of the storm was bad for farmers, because crops were nearing harvest. He tells Rhonda that farmers have a payday once a year, and Irene has taken the paycheck away.
Click below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda discuss Irene’s impact on N.C. agriculture.
[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_8-30.mp3 |titles=Today’s Topic for Aug. 30]
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