Storms bring right amount of rainfall to benefit crops
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CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — Recent rains in West Tennessee have come as a relief for farmers and their crops, especially if they grow soybeans. “Things haven’t been smooth, but they’re beginning to look much better,” Mark Segerson, a farmer in Chester County, said. Farmers welcome Wednesday’s rain with open arms. “Most of my crop looks really good,” Segerson said. “I have areas that are too wet and are really hurting, probably won’t recover, but 90 percent of the crop looks really good.” “We were getting kind of dry there for a while,” farmer Chris Scott said. “We got 1.8 inches, and it’s really made the fields do really well. The beans needed a good drink.” This time of year it is essential for soybeans to get the proper amount of water. Experts say without it the plants can’t take in nutrients from the soil. “Soybeans are blooming and they’re setting some pods, which without the rain the beans would fill out the pods,” said Chester County agriculture extension agent Brian Signaigo. Scott’s fields, which are known as the wettest fields in Chester County, are benefiting from the rain. “Things are going really well right now,” he said. “The beans, they’re really good. They’re canopied out, they’re really tall, they’re putting on blooms right now so they’re just doing really well in general.” Farmers have dealt with both extremes this season and say they’re happy with how things are turning out. “Funny it went from really wet to really dry, almost too dry to plant,” Scott said. “Then we were really lucky when everyone caught the four- and five-inch rains. We only caught like an inch, inch and a half, so it has made our crops do really well in general.” Right now, farmers in Chester County we spoke with say they’re not worried about the conditions of their fields.
