Soybean Crops Suffer From Drought
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Significant rain has not fallen in West Tennessee in quite some time, and our plants, lawns and crops are all showing signs of lack of rain. Farming has been John Verell’s livelihood for the past 10 years, and this drought has not only hurt his crops, but his wallet too. “It costs $250 a day in diesel costs alone, not counting the equipment costs to irrigate the farm,” Verell said. And he said it adds up. He has spent the past three-and-a-half weeks watering his farm non-stop. “The next 10 days are real critical,” Verell said. “We need to receive rainfall to help fill out the pods in the soy beans.” Most of Verell’s soybeans are irrigated, but his two walking guns that spray the water do not compare to the rain. According to experts, this is the worst drought we have seen in the past five years. Climate data indicates our area normally get two-and-a-half inches of rain in August, but this month we have only gotten one half inch. “Usually we’ll have some areas that undergo drought conditions in August, but generally not this widespread,” said Dr. Bob Hayes, University of Tennessee’s Research and Education Center Director. It has impacted all vegetation, so Hayes advises gardeners to water their plants as much as possible, and soak them when they do. He also said the drought will impact grocery store prices. All farmers can do for now is pray for rain.
