Deputy AG Secretary visits SW Georgia - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Deputy AG Secretary visits SW Georgia

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By Gianna Caserta - bio | email
The deputy secretary examines crops with Wilbon Greggs The deputy secretary examines crops with Wilbon Greggs
Deputy AG Secretary Kathleen Merrigan saw the Georgia drought for herself Deputy AG Secretary Kathleen Merrigan saw the Georgia drought for herself

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CALHOUN COUNTY -

The Deputy U.S. Secretary of Agriculture toured drought-stricken South Georgia farms Monday.

The widespread drought now covers 61% of the nation, but Kathleen Merrigan says it's worst right here in South Georgia.  The USDA has designated most counties in Georgia as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat.

It is evident everywhere in South Georgia, but especially Calhoun County which is 12 inches below average rainfall this year. This peanut crop is literally dying for some water.

"Right now these peanuts should be twice the size they are now, but with no rain they cant grow" said farmer Wilbon Greggs.

Without soil moisture these peanuts won't germinate and grow, which means a big loss for Wilbon Greggs.

"If it doesn't start raining in the next 10 to 15 days, we can abandon this crop" said Greggs.

He has 79 acres of dryland peanuts, and at $500 an acre, that is a loss of almost $40,000. It is obvious how this prolonged drought has affected dryland crops, but Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan says it's even taken a toll on irrigated crops.

"The aquifers are not recharging, and this is particularly tough when it is cumulative, year after year, so irrigation is not a complete solution in this situation because you have to have the water to irrigate"  Merrigan says Georgia has been in a drought since 2009.

"That goes a long way in saying why Georgia, has, in terms of number of acres in the most severe category of drought, it is the toughest place in the country" said Kathleen Merrigan.

And it is not only tough on farmers, Merrigan says farming operations affect everyone, whether they realize it or not.

"Trade in the United States around agriculture is very important to our overall economy, 1 in 12 jobs in America is tied somehow to the agriculture sector" said Merrigan.

Merrigan says Congress needs to act on the Farm Bill as soon as possible, giving farmers the safety net they need to sustain the success of American agriculture. Merrigan also says livestock and dairy farmers will be hit the hardest by the drought because they will have to struggle to find food for their animals.

She says some farmers are having to liquidate their herds. That could mean a short term drop in beef prices at the grocery store. Merrigan will take what she learned on her visit to south Georgia back to Washington to discuss the severe drought with President Obama.

 

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