Drought conditions affect Western Tidewater crops

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality coordinated with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force to issue a drought watch advisory June 24 for a list of 95 counties and cities that includes Southampton County, Isle of Wight County and Suffolk.

In a July 3 interview, Southampton County Farm Bureau President Gary Cross summed up drought conditions for the county and the surrounding area: “It’s been pretty severe.”

He said, “The temperatures don’t usually get to the point that we’ve seen them for the last week to 10 days in June. It’s not uncommon to see them in July and August, but it’s quite unusual to see such hot weather in June.”

Adam Hartman, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contact for the U.S. Drought Monitor, stated that drought conditions in Virginia were brought on by several weeks of hot and dry weather.

“Since the start of June, much of the state has received less than 50% of what is considered normal for the month, with large pockets across the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge receiving less than 25% of their normal precipitation,” he stated. “When coupled with several rounds of excessive heat, even record heat in some cases, in recent weeks, it has resulted in stream flows running well below normal and the rapid loss of soil moisture. Virginia is a little worse off (than) surrounding regions because the dryness actually goes a little beyond the last month, particularly in upstate (basically the Fall Line westward).”

Cross indicated that corn crops are significantly affected by the drought conditions right now and could use rain immediately.

“Corn will take all the water you can get it at this stage,” he said. “If we don’t get rain for another week to 10 days, then even that corn that looks good and is green and has got a small ear on it is not going to fill out with kernels.”

He noted that peanuts and cotton can survive in drier conditions, but he said that those crops will need rain soon as well.

“Timely rains the last of July and the first of August will set a good crop and hold the crop,” he said.

While he does not expect a bumper crop for corn this year, he still expressed some optimism for all the aforementioned crops.

“We’re really too early to throw in the towel on anything unless it’s that real burnt-up corn that we just know got fired up from top to bottom and is brown,” he said.

This story will be updated with further information. Check back for updates over the weekend.

The post Drought conditions affect Western Tidewater crops appeared first on The Tidewater News .