FLORENCE, SC – According to the South Carolina Drought Response Committee, all of South Carolina is currently in some phase of drought.
With that drought, farmers in the Pee Dee and on the Grand Strand are struggling to produce healthy crops, and that is hurting business.
Neil McClain has been selling his produce at the Pee Dee State Farmer’s Market in Florence for three years, and he says this year seems to be worse than years in the past.
“It’s bruised because of the heat. When the heat gets to it, it makes it very soft, and it makes it look like that. They’re just damaged,” said McClain while looking at this year’s tomatoes.
He says that’s the case with all of his crops this year as he tries to fill his tables at the farmer’s market.
“We usually have all this filled. That is filled up with peaches and everything. It’s usually (more full) than this. It used to be packed, real packed,” said McClain.
As he looks at his tables this year, that’s not the case.
McClain says he has the occasional customer come to buy peaches or tomatoes, but this year, that’s all he has.
With as little rain as the Pee Dee has had in the last few weeks, farmers say it’s almost impossible to grow healthy crops and to keep them from burning up in the fields. That’s something they say they’ve seen not only in the fields, but also in their wallets.
Joseph Hayes works with Lamb’s Produce, one of the largest butter bean distributers in the Pee Dee.
He says drought damage has already caused an 80% loss in their sales of beans and other crops.
“Corn, okra, watermelon, cantaloupes, anything that grows in the fields and needs water and stuff is getting hurt right now,” said Hayes.
Farmers say for crops like corn and beans this summer, it’s almost too late to hope for more rain.
They say the heat actually causes diseases to spread on the crops rapidly, and that’s the main reason they aren’t producing as much this year.
