FARMERS SAY DROUGHT IS CAUSING WORST CROP IN YEARS

Alabama’s severe lack of rain is causing major problems for local farmers.

Joe Anders, owner of Anders Farm on Highway 69 South in Tuscaloosa County, said his crops are definitely suffering from the combination of high heat and no rain. Anders grows corn, soy beans and hay for his cattle, and said his usual crop of hay has been halved and his soy been crop has gone from 40 bushels of product to just 23.

He said he’s doing what he can to get by this year, but the lack of crops will cause problems for grocery stores down the road.

“It’s a poor commodity price,” he said. “No one is in the market for new equipment. You cut back on your fertilizer and try to (cut back) on your seed, but the drought doesn’t just hurt the farm, it hurts everyone.”

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, it’s the first time since March 2011 that the entirety of Alabama is under some kind of drought.