How the recent rainfall has impacted local farms

COOL RIDGE, WV (WVNS) — After weeks of drought, several areas have finally received some meaningful rainfall.

However, has it been enough to positively impact local farms?

Keith Richmond, County Executive Director for the Raleigh County Farm Service Agency, brought out a soil probe to Okes Family Farm in Cool Ridge to see just how far down the rainfall has managed to go.

Richmond said the rain we have gotten is not nearly enough.

“Anything we can get is gonna help, but this is not a drought busting rain, far from it. But we need three or four days of just this to even look about coming out of the drought. But…anything’ll help.” said Richmond.

It will help, but not save. At this point on the Okes Family Farm, the rainfall has barely reached past the grass’s roots, much less the roots of their corn or pumpkins.

Richmond said as of now most crops are too far gone to have optimized yields.

“Well, everything’s gonna be stunted. It’s gonna be late this year, it’s gonna be shorter. The corn crops are already tasseling out, it’s real short, so the damage is done. We can just hope that we get the rain and are able to pull through the rest of the summer.” said Richmond.

Low yields will not just affect farmers.

Richmond said it is all about supply and demand and at this point one side of that scale is tipped far further than the other.

“Yield’s gonna be down. Silage, grain corn, any of your grain type crops. Soybeans, wheat, barley, oats, rye, that type of thing’s gonna be affected by this,” explained Richmond. “Hay, in this area, is gonna be the biggest thing. Hay’s gonna bring a premium this year cause it’s in short supply.”

Richmond said the drought issue is still a problem and will continue to be so until we get more substantial rain.

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