Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
It has been a wet several weeks in North Carolina, and the weather is having an impact on crops.
In some areas of the state, as much as 50 percent of the wheat crop still hasn’t been harvested, and the longer the corp remains in the field, the greater the chances that quality and yields will suffer. The rain also has slowed the planting of soybeans and sweet potatoes. And there’s increasing concern about diseases and weeds.
In the central and eastern counties, there have been reports of cotton and tobacco being drowned by the rains. Commissioner Troxler says tobacco is a pretty resilient crop, and it can bounce back from wet weather. But if it gets too much water, the quality is going to suffer.
In western counties, corn and vegetables have had too much water, and the blackberry harvest is slower than normal.
One crop that is benefiting from all this rain is corn. But going forward, even corn could be affected if the wet weather persists.
It’s too early to know what the potential impacts on crop yield and quality could be.
Click on the audio player below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda discuss the impact of wet weather on N.C. crops.
[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_7-9.mp3|titles=Today’s Topic for July 9]
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