Peanut crop damaged, partially lost in southeast Alabama
10/14/2019 12:00:00 AM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
AFFECTED AREAS:
Barbour County, AL
Coffee County, AL
Dale County, AL
Geneva County, AL
Henry County, AL
Houston County, AL
Pike County, AL
Start Date: 9/24/2019
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The peanut yield in the Wiregrass region was 3,200 pounds per acre, considerably lower than the 2018 harvest of 4,100 pounds per acre.
WTVY-TV CBS 4 Dothan (Ala.), Oct. 14, 2019
Farmers in the Wiregrass were harvesting peanuts, but the hot, dry weather made harvest difficult. Farmers were expected to harvest less than 3,200 pounds per acre, which is below average. Due to drought, peanuts were smaller, and field producers estimate 10 to 20 percent of the peanut crop was lost to drought.
The hard, dry ground was hard on machinery, causing blade breakages and dulling the blades quickly. Dull blades result in a lower harvest.
WTVY-TV CBS 4 Dothan (Ala.), Sept. 24, 2019
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