Indianola Enterprise-Tocsin

A Growing Problem: Farmers Reeling From Unrelenting Rains

By Bryan Davis

Sunflower County could see a stretch of nearly seven days without rainfall this week, but all the work farmers are doing between storms could be wiped out with heavy rains, which could move in on Sunday and last through Monday morning.

This is what area farmers have been dealing with this entire planting season.

Many are already predicting a best-case scenario of at least some form of yield loss, due to having to replant seed that has been inundated by water.

Sunflower County Extension Agent Alex Deason said that on any given year, there are just under 300,000 acres of seed planted in the area.

“Every acre has been impacted since early planting season,” Deason said.

Currently, the south Delta region has been hit the hardest by rising waters.

Hundreds of thousands of acres are currently underwater there, and the rain has been exacerbating problems caused by high river stages.

In Sunflower County, farmers have been able to plant thousands of acres between weather systems, but the damage done by each passing rain cloud has undone a lot of that work.

“Well the hardest decision about these types of weather events is the decision to replant on failed or poor stands,” Deason said. “This takes a lot of time to think through all of the possible agronomic and economic scenarios.”

One local farmer who spoke to The E-T, but asked not to be identified, said that a rain storm like the one that passed through last week can be detrimental to low-lying fields that have already been planted.

Heavy rains also affect corn crops, causing loss of nitrogen, which could in turn affect the yield at harvest.

As of now, the rains are holding off, but that’s only predicted to last for a stretch of six to seven days. Farmers would need two weeks to nearly a month to return to ideal conditions for the crops.

Relief On The Way?

If Mother Nature does not give the Delta farmers relief soon, the government may.

U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith spoke of the area’s plight in her maiden speech to the Senate recently. While much of the political discussion has revolved around the controversial Yazoo Pumps project, she told The E-T in a statement this week that she fears for the negative economic impact this water could have on the entire state.

“I’m very concerned about what could amount to a lost planting season for so many farmers in Mississippi,” Hyde-Smith said. “The flooding this year could go on for many more weeks, and that will create dire situations for producers and related industries.”

Hyde-Smith said that legislative relief could be on the way.

“I am working to increase awareness of the situation in the Delta with my colleagues,” she said. “I am hopeful that Congress will soon finalize an agreement on a disaster funding package that could provide some assistance, which could be combined with resources and latitude given to the USDA and other agencies to help farmers in emergency situations.”

President Donald Trump has also recently promised relief for farmers due to the trade war with China and the billions of dollars in tariffs China has imposed on multiple crops, including soybeans, cotton and corn, among others.

Farmers have been largely supportive of Trump’s dealings with China so far, but the costs associated with that trade war, coupled with the continuous downpours in the Delta have created a perfect storm of less than ideal conditions for local farmers.

The best-case scenario, Deason said, is that the rains will halt and give farmers time to recover and plant the rest of their crops. The worst case is that the rains will continue to pound what is already in the ground and keep area farmers from planting further seed.

For the next week, it looks like Sunflower County will fall somewhere in the middle.

Farmers will continue to labor as long as the clouds have parted and pray the next systems does not undo that work.