Two of 100 counties escaping North Carolina drought

(The Center Square) – Agricultural damaging drought continues in North Carolina, though rain in the past week has helped.

Still, Columbus County in the southeast and Yadkin in the northwest are listed in extreme drought, according to the state’s Drought Management Advisory Council. Severe drought grips all or parts of 26 other counties spread across the state and 49 more have moderate drought.

That’s 77 of 100, and 21 of the rest are abnormally dry. Camden and Currituck in the far northeastern corner bordering Virginia are the only two counties free of drought conditions.

In Monday’s crop progress and conditions report , corn remained very poor (44%) or poor (29%). About 31% of the soybeans crop is poor or very poor, and 43% fair.

Sweet potatoes (95%), burley tobacco (96%) and sorghum (95%) are all relatively on pace in progress to last year and the five-year average.

North Carolina is No. 1 nationally each in all tobacco, flue-cured tobacco, and sweet potatoes ; and No. 5 in cotton.

Agriculture and agribusiness have an economic impact of $111.1 billion in North Carolina, the state Agriculture Department says.