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Arkansas farmers say timely rains boost crops amid serious drought

Two farmers in northeast Arkansas say the recent rains have been a welcome sight for the spring crops.

Kenny Clark in Jackson County says several inches of rain means he won’t need to flush his rice fields, which helps him avoid extra irrigation costs.

“I talked to a young farmer yesterday and he said, I just got through flushing my rice and we got a huge rain. I said, well, that’s normal, that’s the way things work, but we didn’t have to flush any, so I’m thankful for that.”

Clark says the rice has emerged and is about two to three weeks from irrigation, ahead of schedule. He says most of the soybeans had already emerged before the rains, and there could be some crop losses in flat areas where there’s standing water.

Tommy Young raises rice, soybeans, corn and wheat in Jackson County, and he tells Brownfield…

“I’m very pleased with where we are right now. The water ran off the fields and the everything is I have no damage as a result of that larger rainfall.”

Young says the forecast in the next few days calls for dry and cool, which can be good for crop development, and he’s optimistic the area can avoid severe weather.

Despite the recent rains, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor continues to show 54 percent of Arkansas is experiencing extreme drought conditions. Much of Jackson County, Arkansas is in exceptional drought.

Hear Brownfield’s interview with Kenny Clark.

Hear Brownfield’s interview with Tommy Young.