Crop damage mounting
County Agent Glen Daniels said Monday two recent storms wiped out thousands of acres of cropland and that replanting efforts will continue once the rains stop.
"We underestimated the damage following the May 3 storm," Daniels said Monday. "It now appears that the hail and wind damage beat down about a thousand acres of soybeans and a lot of rice acreage, too."
He said a storm on Sunday, May 10, dumped three inches of rain and hail in the Dunbarton and Clayton areas and two inches of rain and hail at Lake St. John, damaging at least another 1,000 acres.
"This storm tore up a lot of cotton, and shredded leaves on corn," said Daniels. "A lot of the bean and cotton acreage will have to be replanted and we're getting late on replanting crops. When you get past a certain date you can't get insurance."
Daniels said once the rains end, "we've still got problems. There are issues with rot, disease, temperature, oxygen depletion. It's just been a real, real tough year all over."
After suffering major losses last year due to two hurricanes, Daniels said the prospects for this year are uncertain.
"It's been a real tough year all over," said Daniels. "I have a sick feeling in my stomach now."
Adding to the woes, said Daniels, was the fact that "now due to the high river stage we're having seepage water from the river on cropland in the Deer Park area." |
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