S.C. farmers rush to harvest crops before Hurricane Florence strikes
The storm, which is expected to be a Category 4 when it makes landfall, and the potential for flooding, is certainly a threat to crops; the real killer could be timing
"If you get a storm like this in the summer it's not as big of a deal as if it's during harvest season," said
The harvest schedule makes it an awkward time for Hurricane Florence to strike. Farmers are rushing to harvest the remaining 5 to 10 percent of corn that's yet to be harvested, Davis said. Some, but not all, cotton plants are ready to be picked; peanuts are largely ripe but need several days to be dug up, sun-dried and then harvested, said
With only days until
"That's not the perfect option, but it's the only option we have," Davis said. "The thought of six to eight inches of rain on top of this is disheartening."
Farmers aren't entirely subject to
"We don't want a repeat of 2015," Davis said. "We don't want pond dams overrunning and breaking."
Though Davis said many farmers did draw down their ponds before the 2015 historic flooding, not even that was enough for how much the 2015 historical rains dumped on farmland. Some areas of
"There was no way to get ready for a 1,000-year flood," Davis said.
The question of whether or not Hurricane Florence will bring a moderate rainfall or far more serious flooding is a source of anxiety for many farmers. But with hurricane forecasts changing by the hour, it seems farmers will just have to wait and see.
"The unknown is the worst thing at this point," DeWitt said.
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