Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
Even without a strike from Hurricane Joaquin, crops across North Carolina are suffering because of prolonged rainfall that has gripped the state for nearly two weeks.
North Carolina farmers have dealt with their share of inhospitable weather this year. A wet spring was followed by drought and high heat this summer. Many farmers needed rain, but they got far more than necessary. And the extensive rainfall hit at harvest time, when farmers need to be bringing crops in from the field.
The ground is saturated, and farmers aren’t able to harvest. And that means a variety of crops across the state are being affected. In some cases, crops that just a few weeks ago were suffering from drought are now being drowned by water. There are reports of soybeans sprouting in the hull and cotton seed sprouting in the boll. Peanuts, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes, apples and tobacco are among the crops being affected by the excessive rainfall.
Click on the audio player below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda talk about the agricultural impacts from the fall rains and what might happen next.
[Audio:/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_10-6-15.mp3|titles=Today’s Topic for Oct. 6]
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