The following blog was written by Sandra Carpenter Aiello, outreach specialist with the Agronomic Services Division
It’s been about a year since Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage across Western North Carolina. The storm dumped upwards of 20 – 30 inches of rain in a short amount of time, leading to extensive flooding and damage. Homes, businesses, buildings, crops, fields, rivers, and almost everything was impacted. Some things were forever changed. Loss of life was most devastating. In the days immediately following the storm, the focus was on search, rescue, recovery and getting needed supplies to those in the impacted areas. Recovery is still on-going and will be for years.
However, the short-term focus for everyone has been getting back on their feet. This includes farmers that are the heart of the number one industry in our great state – agriculture.
In March, I visited with two farms in Western NC with NCDA&CS Regional Agronomist, Steve Dillon, to see and hear firsthand what some of our farmers experienced and how Agronomic Services is helping to restore their farming livelihoods.
The first visit was to the Obermiller’s Strawberry Farm in Hendersonville, about 25 miles south of Asheville. The Obermillers operate a U-Pick strawberry, blueberry and blackberry farm. After 28 inches of rain and floodwater over 4-foot-deep covered his farm, more than 9,000 strawberry plants were destroyed. Strawberries are planted in the fall with intent to harvest the following spring, leaving the Obermiller family with no time to fix land, secure and plant new strawberry plants, and no crop for the 2025 spring harvest.
Additionally, the swirling debris in the floodwaters collided with established blueberry and blackberry bushes, lifting them from the soil to be washed away. Once waters receded, the Obermiller family was left with significant sand deposits over large parts of their field. While some soil washed in, some washed away creating gaping holes. The soil that was created over millions to billions of years vanished from his farm in a few hours.
The second farm visit was with Jeff Searcy, who farms a variety of vegetables. His fields saw higher floodwater levels than at the Obermiller’s farm, close to 20-feet high. In anticipation of Hurricane Helene, he moved his farm equipment to higher ground. However, water levels far exceeded the tops of the equipment, washed mud into pickup trucks, and flipped box trucks. A significant amount of sand was deposited across his fields as well.
Each farm’s circumstances were unique, and the plans for cleaning up and moving forward were different as well. Unfortunately, in these types of situations, there isn’t a “one size fits all” remedy. Everything needed to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Steve used his knowledge of plant and soil principles to provide recommendations for the upcoming growing season on each farm. For example, Obermiller needed to clean out the sand from around the remaining blackberry and blueberry bushes to try and save them. Since these perennial crops take years to develop and produce desired yields, saving plants rather than replanting is best. On the other hand, for the field vegetables that grow annually at Jeff Searcy’s farm, the crops were lost. There it seemed more practical, although significantly challenging, to move equipment to till the sand into the soil in the fields for later replanting.
For both farms, there were numerous topics of discussion and big questions for Steve in efforts to assist growers. Some of these included:
- Were key nutrients leached out of the soil?
- To what extent had the fertile topsoil been washed away?
- In areas where a significant amount of soil loss occurred, what practices were best to restore its productivity? Should fill dirt be used? Should cover crops be used to stabilize soil prior to replanting traditionally grown crops again.
- How much soil was deposited on top of existing topsoil in fields. Would it be best to move deposited soil or till it into the existing topsoil?
- What was the impact of nematode, insect and disease organism movement from one area to another?
- What was the time frame of being able to get crops planted again.
Unfortunately, these events occur without easy answers or quick fixes. Experience is the best teacher and luckily, this type of damage does not occur regularly. However, Agronomic Services has the staff and resources to trouble-shoot and give some of the best advice available through using foundational knowledge in crop and soil sciences along with testing services.
Regional Agronomists are experts in soil fertility, plant nutrition, and management of plant-parasitic nematodes. They meet with growers, discuss concerns, devise sampling plans, assist in taking samples with submission to the Agronomic Services labs in Raleigh for testing. Based on results, an appropriate management plan is developed with the grower’s input. Regional agronomists are knowledgeable in the management of insects and diseases as well.
Steve’s efforts at the Obermiller’s Farm confirmed a significant drop in both soil nutrient levels and pH. Applications of lime and fertilizer were needed. “I was encouraged and thankful for Steve’s assistance in my recovery from the storm,” said Obermiller. “Having another set of eyes, listening to my concerns and having expert advice helped me to see more clearly how to move forward in this overwhelming situation.” Searcy implemented the recommendations to manage the soil in the field.
While the Obermillers lost their spring strawberry crop, the blackberry and blueberry bushes that remained after the storm have bounced back and are producing a significant yield. The new bushes planted to replace what was destroyed will take approximately eight to nine years to bring about the yield that was previously produced. Picking times are limited, but the crowds coming to pick and support a local farm have been great. Searcy’s vegetables were planted and are growing well. He has great optimism for this year’s crop. Both growers are thankful for Steve’s help during “normal” growing seasons but especially after Helene.
Multiple challenges still exist for many growers in the aftermath, but the resilience of North Carolinians and our farmers prevails. Steve and two other regional agronomists continue their efforts to help western North Carolina growers rebuild their farm operations.