Weekend showers relieve drought-weary farmers
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

Christmas came early for Burke County farmers last weekend.

Their presents fell from the sky in the form of rain drops.

The showers that started Saturday afternoon and continued into the night dropped as much as 4.5 inches into rain gauges, on fields and into ponds and waterways around the county.

The relief came just in time for wheat fields and winter grazing pastures, according to Burke County Extension Coordinator Will Duffie.

Winter grazing growth has been stalled due to drought and portions of some wheat fields have yet to sprout.

But that could change some after the weekend's rain takes effect.

"If we have moderate temperatures, things will really start growing," Duffie said.

He also noted that a decent wheat crop is still possible with consistent rainfall, and the bare fields could still show promise.

"As long as the seed is still viable, we could see that wheat come up," he said.

Data collected at the University of Georgia's weather station near Midville showed that 3.11 inches fell there.

Duffie said his rain gauge in Waynesboro was filled to the 2.5 inch mark and farms he'd visited near Girard recorded nearly 4 inches. Farmers around Alexander, who seemed to see the most rainfall, reported receiving around 4.5 inches.