CAIRO, GA (WALB) - Diseases starting to spread through some Georgia corn fields could drive corn prices higher.
Recent rain is spawning a couple of diseases in several counties in southwest Georgia.
Farmers worry every south Georgia county could eventually get hit.
While it may not be a very well-known disease, farmers say southern corn rust is very serious. "It's a disease that can spread rapidly and it's a disease that can a lot of damage to a corn crop very quickly," said Grady County Agricultural Extension Agent Don Clark.
Tropical storm Beryl brought some much needed rain to south Georgia, but it also brought heavy winds that carried disease ridden spores.
"If we have rainy, wet weather, with a lot of wind associated with the storms than we look at disease spread. And when we have drier conditions the diseases tend to spread much slower," said Clark.
Clark says southern corn rust has not yet reached Grady County, but northern corn leaf blight has. "If the disease spreads to the ear leaf and we lose that foliage, it reduces photosynthesis and it cuts down on the corn grain yield."
Clark says these diseases could lead to a shortage of harvestable corn. "If we don't protect our crops and disease is left to spread, it could produce some shortages of some of these crops because we can have some crop failures."
Clark says with droughts, diseases, heavy rains, and pests, the life of a farmer is not easy. "Sometimes the weather is very cooperative and other times it's not. So many farmers have very thick skin and can kind of roll with the punches."
Clark says farmers in every south Georgia county are staying on top of the disease situation and can still have an a-maize-ing season.
So far, southern corn rust has been confirmed in Seminole, Terrell, Ben Hill, and Brooks Counties, but farmers expect it to spread.
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