The Southeast Farm Press reported earlier this week about the devastating impacts of the flash drought that is affecting South Carolina as well as parts of North Carolina and Georgia. Ironically, wet conditions last spring delayed planting of many crops and probably reduced the number of acres of corn planted. Then hot and dry conditions set in and have lasted through the summer. In some cases a long dry spell with essentially no rain from April 22 through June reduced pollination of corn.
Continued dry conditions have stressed cotton and peanuts as well as other crops, as well as increasing disease and insect pressure. To make matters worse, the current El Niño is likely to cause rainy conditions later in the fall, which may further hamper farmers’ ability to harvest their crops and reduce their quality. You can read the article here.
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