Rain delivers relief to local croplands

Showers of blessings... that's what the rainfall of the past two days has been as Halifax County got its first significant precipitation for the month of August. The question remains as to whether or not the rainfall comes too late to salvage local crops.
According to Taylor Clarke, agricultural specialist for Halifax and Mecklenburg Counties, "this has been a hard year to figure. Crops in some areas," he said "are in terrible shape. Some spots got showers while others did not."
The soybean crop in both counties, he said, is "pretty much a disaster," and this rain is likely too late to help.
The tobacco crop, he explained, is later than usual due to planting during the cool weather in May, so the rain could help to salvage some of that acreage. The wheat crop, according to Clarke, was as good as any in a long time, because it was planted early in April. "That's definitely better than usual," but the corn crop has been especially hurt, he says.
Halifax and Mecklenburg County Supervisors are expected to approve drought disaster requests during their upcoming September meetings. Halifax County Administrator Bryan Foster confirmed that the matter of drought disaster relief is on the agenda for the County's meeting next Tuesday evening.
As rain continued to fall yesterday afternoon, a spokesman at the South Boston waste water plant said this was the first "measurable rainfall" the Town had gotten since August 14 when 0.17 inch fell. The plant which measures precipitation from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. said 0.59 inch had fallen during Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning shortly after 10 a.m. another 0.70 inch had soaked the area.