No Two Crop Years Are The Same

By: John Hart

As 2018 draws to a close and farmers plan for 2019, the adage “no two crop years are the same” certainly applies. For the most part, farmers are glad this crop year is over, with hopes, prayers and optimism the year to come will be much better.

Hurricanes Michael and Florence brought heartbreak to growers across much of the Southeast. Particularly hard hit were cotton farmers who had excellent crops in the works and the promise of good prices and strong demand for the fiber they grow. For many, hurricanes changed all of that.

Clay Pirkle, who farms in Turner and Irwin counties in south central Georgia, put it well when he described Hurricane Michael as a meteor hitting the community, bringing utter devastation. Prior to Michael, he was expecting a record cotton crop. “We had a great crop. I was looking at three-bale cotton,” Pirkle said. “This was shaping up to be the best crop of cotton folks have ever seen, and then it’s gone in one night.”

What Pirkle and other growers desperately need is cooperative weather throughout the growing season in 2019. Hopefully, next year at this time, Southeast Farm Press will report that Pirkle and other growers did indeed achieve three-bale cotton yields of excellent quality that mills can’t wait to buy.