Burke County declared a disaster area
Farmers chalking up big losses could qualify for emergency loans
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

Cotton in some areas has started blooming, though plants, like the dryland cotton shown above, are not more than knee-high.

The lack of rainfall prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare Burke and 148 other Georgia counties disaster areas last week.

The declaration will make farmers in Burke County eligible for low interest emergency loans, if they meet certain criteria.

Burke County Cooperative Extension Coordinator Will Duffie said he worries about low yields if the crops don't receive consistent rainfall soon.

"Right now is a critical time for water," Duffie said. "I'm more worried about the cotton, soybeans and peanuts. If the soybean crop doesn't get some water soon, we're going to be in trouble."

Duffie added that "a good bit of the cotton is already stressed."

Much of the cotton is blooming, though many of the stalks don't stand more than 30 inches tall.

Corn harvest has already begun in some parts of the county. Although Duffie said he believes farmers may see a fair crop, the drought has already taken a toll on their wallets during the growing season.

With much of the corn under irrigation during a drought period, this year's crop was an expensive one to grow, and corn prices have dropped substantially.

States across the southeast have experienced similar drought conditions throughout the year and have also been declared disaster areas.

The 10 counties in Georgia not named as primary disaster areas are Baldwin, Chattahoochee, Dooly, Harris, Jones, Marion, Muscogee, Putnam, Talbot and Washington.