Row crop farmers face soggy situation in their fields

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - It is a classic case of getting too much of a good thing. Alabama farmers are seeing too much rain for certain row crops and now the issue is quality.

Take a combine ride or a stroll in a row crop field and chances are you won’t leave a dusty trail. You’ll likely feel and hear the squish.

Alabama farmers are getting too much of a good thing and the quality is now a concern for some crops. For example, peanut growers are seeing discolorations with their peanuts.

“A lot of people are trying to get back in the fields and with these rains, those peanuts are still sitting in the ground,” explained Carla Hornady, ALFA Director of Cotton, Soybeans and Wheat/Feed. “And some have seen sprouts from the peanuts as well, which will effect their quality and quantity as well.”

A photo of a flooded cotton field nearby tells the story, a story of seeds sprouting from within. For the grower, that means less money at the market.

“I’ve heard anyone from 10% to 40% loss on quantity that they would be getting out just because of the issues they’re seeing,” said Hornady.

Could this impact you the consumer? Not likely.

“Most of the corn and the soybeans we have around here goes into animal feed, so that will be mostly what’s effected,” Hornady said.

Still, we’re told farmers will take this any day over a lingering drought, all par for the course of living off the land.

On the flip side to all this, many corner producers have recorded yields because of the rains this year.