Dyer County crops under water; farmers mull costs
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DYER COUNTY, Tenn. — Farmers in Dyer County are struggling to keep their crops out of water because the Obion, Forked Deer and Mississippi rivers are flooding the farmland. It’s a problem that could cost some farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars. “We’ve been fighting back water for over a week now, building levees and just trying to survive” said Dyer County farmer Jerry Hollingsworth. “It’s a late time for the Mississippi River to be rising this high. A lot of water in the Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, it’s all coming down and we’re fighting the flood waters from those, Ohio and Upper Mississippi.” County officials said they have around 300,000 acres of farm land in the country, but it won’t be clearing up any time soon. “The Mississippi at flood stage is 32 foot, and they’re expecting it to go to about 34 feet and stay there,” said Dyer County Commissioner Jimmy Hester. “It’s not just going to get up and get out — it’s going to be here a little while.” Farmers with land in Dyer County near the Obion and Mississippi rivers say it hasn’t been this bad during the summer months in more than 20 years. Farmers call it a fight you just can’t win. “On the Obion River, the levee broke three days ago and we lost 460 acres on it,” Hollingsworth said. “We’re farming 3,800 acres and we’re trying to keep the water off of 1,000 now, so that’s a third of our crop.” Hollingsworth said flooding like this not only affects this year but future crops as well. “It’s going to be hard to make equipment payments when you lose a third of your crop,” Hollingsworth said. “We do have crop insurance, and that will take care of most of the input cost on seed and fertilizer and stuff like that, but as far as making equipment payments, it won’t do it.”
