COATS, N.C. (WNCN) – High temperatures and weeks of clear skies may have you wondering when it’s going to rain. But for North Carolina farmers, the impact goes even further.
As of Tuesday, central North Carolina has gone more than 18 days without widespread rain. Heat advisories were also recently issued for some counties as we see temperatures consistently in the 90s.
Harnett County farmer Curt Honeycutt says the heat, coupled with a lack of rain, is wiping out hundreds of acres of his crops.
“There is no moisture left in this soil,” he said, pointing to the worryingly dry soil and the withered leaves of his corn stalks. “It’s pretty much a loss right now.”
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He tells KeynoteUSA 17 it’s the worst drought he’s seen since he founded Honeycutt Farms.
“I’ve been farming on my own for about 12 years and this is the longest period I’ve seen without rain,” he explained.
Honeycutt is 6’6″ tall, and at this point in the season, he says this corn is supposed to be taller than him.
The slideshow below shows Honeycutt with the corn plants on Tuesday, compared to another photo taken during the same week in previous years.
“This will surely make the final result tight,” Honeycutt said. “We depend on this crop to generate income and keep things going.”
While their corn is grown to feed farm animals in North Carolina, other crops end up in the State Farmers Marketbringing healthy and nutritious foods to your table.
However, some of those crops are not so lucky either.
“People have been coming here asking if we have beans and stuff like that, and we don’t because of the rain, because of the heat,” said Jada Carter, who works at Beth Moore’s Produce farmers market.
As farmers across the state feel the impact, Honeycutt says it’s about planning for the worst and hoping for the best.
“We just have to keep that faith and know that the rain is coming. And so it will be,” he stated. “It will come with time.”
Click here for the latest KeynoteUSA 17 forecast.
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