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Ida compounds misery for Southern farmers

Tropical Storm Ida may not have done much damage when it hit the Gulf Coast this week, but its wind and rain have compounded the misery for Southern farmers already coping with a wet, difficult harvest season.

In areas of Alabama and Mississippi, a wet spring delayed planting and a rainy, cool fall has delayed the harvest of cotton, peanuts and other crops by more than a month. Ida’s rain and wind has further hindered farmers desperate to get crops out.

In some cases, farmers worry that they will lose some of their crop to rot. Others say the quality of their harvest may be harmed by the excess rains.

William Birdsong, an extension agronomy specialist in southeast Alabama, said the fall rains, including those from Ida, have left farms “on the verge of disaster.”