By Alabama Public Radio
Geneva County AL – About 250 farmers gathered in Geneva County Tuesday to talk with Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks about drought conditions in southeastern Alabama. Some corn farmers in the Wiregrass have already lost their crops. Some livestock have already lost two cuttings of hay due to dry conditions, which have hurt feed supplies. Cotton and peanut crops could be salvaged with rains could still make a decent crop if rains in next 7-10 days. Sparks says there are also places in north and southwest Alabama that need rain. Many other areas are also below average rainfall totals. State agriculture officials will be conducting a statewide drought assessment to monitor the situation. Meanwhile, he says some cattle going through market have been up to 150 pounds underweight. He also says some ranchers could be driven out of business within the next 10 days.