Raleigh, N.C. — State agriculture officials are urging farmers to pay special attention to what needs to be done on the farm to prepare for hurricane season.

“As we’ve seen too many times, it only takes one major storm to ruin a farmer’s year,” Steve Troxler, commissioner of the Department Agriculture and Consumer Services, said.

Troxler's advice was part of a larger effort by state officials, including Gov. Mike Easley, to get people to prepare for hurricane season, which officially begins June 1, though one subtropical named storm already has formed and dissipated in the Atlantic.

Farmers, Troxler said, need to consider what will protect their families, crews, equipment and buildings. It is very important to have plans for supplying backup electricity to barns and other critical facilities, Troxler noted.

Troxler said farmers should have a properly installed transfer switch so they can take power from a generator without endangering farm employees or utility workers.