Alabama is still dealing with drought. The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor lists parts of Marengo, Greene, and Hale Counties as extremely dry. Severe drought includes about twenty counties. The Gulf coast is currently listed as exceptionally dry. APR spoke with people on the front lines of this issue and files this report…
When Alabamians hear about the ongoing drought, it often comes in the form of a map they see on their TV weather report. Areas of the state that are colored tan, those are the moderate drought areas, orange is for severe, and the red part—that’s bad. That’s where extreme drought is occurring. Other people look for signs of drought that are a little different…
“You're usually going to see it in the foliage first, and then on crops like tomatoes or peppers,” said David Lawrence. He’s the Regional Extension Agent in Commercial Horticulture for Central Alabama. That means he’s an expert on fruits and vegetables. Lawrence knows when they’re doing well, and when drought is taking a toll…
“In other crops, peas and other things that have pods, you'll see pods that don't get filled up,” he said. “You know, we're just as we're not only they're not getting the water they need, they're not getting the nutrients they need, because that's how they uptake.”
Lawrence deals with farmers in his region. Six hundred thousand people work in agriculture statewide in Alabama. And that industry reportedly generates seventy billion dollars a year for the state’s economy. So, anything that threatens those crops is a big deal. Drought makes the news a lot in Alabama. Which may be odd when you consider the state gets fifty five inches of rain a year on average.
“Even though Alabama is a water-rich state, we’re still going to experience drought,” said Laura Cooley. She a project manager with Auburn University’s Water Resources Center. Part of her job is pushing the message that impact from drought is more widespread than people may think…
“Not only because it influences our farmers, you know, who are producing pretty important crops for us, for the entire state, but also because it can be a learning opportunity for cities in terms of how to how other cities manage drought,” she said.
And central to that effort is knowing where Alabama’s drought is and how’s effected. Auburn runs a program called REACH. Cooley says it coordinates the efforts of extension agents like David Lawrence to go out to the areas they serve and take pictures.
“So I think the reason that this program is important is that you know when, if, when a producer is particularly hard hit by drought, it's really critical that those drought maps reflect the areas that are experiencing drought,” said Cooley.
One reason is federal funding. Agencies like FEMA and NOAA provide grants to drought stricken areas to cope with a lack of water resources or to reimburse farmers for crop losses. More accurate maps can help people in the agriculture industry make their case in Washington, D.C. Cooley says it’s not just farmers who are harmed..
“Our water resources include our rivers and streams, our groundwater. You know, lots of agricultural producers rely on, you know, irrigation, as you know, as also for our drinking water supplies,” said Cooley. “So, you know, when it comes to protecting our water resources, it's kind of a multifaceted thing.”
And there are things people who don’t farm for living can do as well. The National Weather Service suggests taking shorter showers and turning off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.
“We just put strawberries in the ground and so they're not fruiting right now,” said David Lawrence. We met him at the beginning of our story. It’s those strawberries that are concerning him.
“They'll fruit in the spring,” he observed. “But it was, it was kind of a crunch trying to get those in the ground. The ground was so dry we had, you know, pull beds and form beds to plant those, and so we were kind of had a hard time getting those in the ground on time. I wouldn't say they're struggling, but that's kind of a lot of they're getting a lot of attention right now.”
And part of that attention for farmers is irrigation as Alabama makes its way through what’s typically a dry winter.
