Alabama Farmers Picking Up The Pieces After Tropical Storm Zeta

By Mary Wilson

From Mobile County in the south to Cherokee County in the northeast, Alabama’s rural landscape is dotted with destroyed crops and damaged structures after Tropical Storm Zeta blew through Oct. 28 and 29.

Damage assessments are ongoing, but cotton appears to be the most impacted. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Crop Progress and Condition Report, more than 40% of the cotton crop was still in the field.

“We have farmers who are reporting a complete loss on any cotton they had not yet harvested,” said Carla Hornady, Alabama Farmers Federation Cotton; Soybean; and Wheat & Feed Grain divisions director. “For those who do still have a salvageable crop, the quality and yield will be much lower than anticipated before Zeta. It’s devastating, especially for our farmers in Alabama’s Black Belt and coastal counties.”

Monroe County Farmers Federation President Ronnie Joe Jordan planned to start picking his 494 acres of cotton the first week of November.

“If you drove past the field the day before, it was just completely white with cotton. When we drove by Thursday morning, all you could see were brown stalks,” Jordan said. “All the cotton has been knocked off the ground. It’s pretty rough.”

Farmers also have reported damage to their soybean crops as high winds whipped the stalks around, making harvest more difficult. Additionally, power outages create concerns for farmers who often rely on electric-powered wells to provide water to their homes and livestock.