Hurricane Helene bringing even more wind, rain to already recovering Stuttgart

STUTTGART, Ark.- As Helene brings in more rain, some farmers are getting concerned, especially since they are still recovering from Tropical Storm Francine.

The storms are costing farmers not only their crops but time and money.

“We lost between five and seven days of actual harvest time, it’s not something we like to see,” Coker Farms Owner Jay Coker said.

“Because of excess rainfall, and then the temperatures with that, we had a lot of mold and mildew,” Coker said.

According to Coker, Stuttgart and the towns within the prairie have only a narrow window for harvesting, about 60 days.

“Usually, when we have rainfall or any kind of severe weather, the weather following is not the same conditions; it’s not as good as it was prior to the rain,” Coker said.

With harvest season only being a few weeks, it means that when severe weather hits, workers must work even harder to get the job done.

Working sunup to sundown, Cocker says that the health and safety of his workers are huge concerns, especially when workers are on significant overtime.

The Arkansas Storm Team reports that 2/3 of Stuttgart’s monthly rainfall comes from the rain Tropical Storm Francine brought. Stuttgart has received 2.95 inches as of September 25.

Helene is expected to bring parts of the state up to two inches and could produce winds up to 25 mph.

Cocker says winds of 20 mph and upward could damage the crops and even knock them over, as Francine has done to many of his crops.

For rice, in particular, it can knock the crop over and break off the grain from the stock. Francine damage can cost farmers anywhere from $100-200 per riced acre.

However, the damage to production of produce is one of many associated costs. The equipment is also strained more when working through the mud, creating more problems.

“We have more equipment breakdowns, the cost just gets out of control in a hurry,” Cocker said.

Cocker says that while all farmers know the risks associated with the job, severe weather doesn’t help.

The damage affects more than just farmers.

“Everybody is interdependent on one another, and it has a trickle-down effect to where if we feel the pain, it goes down to others as well,” Cocker said.

Others include vendors and other partners, workers, farm machinery sellers and mechanics, businesses that sell fertilizers and chemicals, etc.

It also includes people like you and me, as we see less fresh produce on the shelves.

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