10/15/09 - Lauderdale County
7:15 p.m.
Overflowing of the
Mississippi River back in the spring caused flooding of
its West Tennessee tributaries. This, added to a very
wet fall season, and has made the harvesting of some crops
difficult for area farmers. Eugene Pugh is a soybean
farmer whose crop is located near Halls in Lauderdale
county. His crop is not in good shape. "The beans that
have been ready to harvest are beginning to deteriorate
in the fields," said Pugh.
The reason for all the
rain this season is the El Nino. Surface temperatures
in the eastern Pacific ocean have been getting warmer.
This leads to global shifts in weather patterns which
bring abundant moisture and frequent disturbances
through the southern Unites States this time of year.
Besides continual days of rainfall, these systems can
also produce heavy downpours.
Pugh is also the mayor of
Halls and said some businesses in his town related to farming have felt the financial effects of
the poor crops. What Pugh said he needs
most to save his beans is a stretch of at least 60 days
with little rain, plenty of sunshine, and mild
temperatures. However, those have been hard to come by
this season.
He remains optimistic, though, as do many farmers in his area. The Mississippi is expected to fall over the next few days. According to Pugh, some soybeans crops in the past have survived in the county under similar adverse conditions.
He remains optimistic, though, as do many farmers in his area. The Mississippi is expected to fall over the next few days. According to Pugh, some soybeans crops in the past have survived in the county under similar adverse conditions.
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