Farmers assess damage after Hermine drowns crops

On a farm in Tyrell County, Jett Ferebee’s soy bean crops were drowning under two feet of water.

“It just depends on how long that water stays here, if those beans rot, if they’re going to mature out, if they’ll dry out,” he said.

Ferebee and other farmers in Washington and Tyrell counties met Sunday morning to assess the damage left behind from tropical storm Hermine. McCrory, state Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry and Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler also got a firsthand look.

“We’re here today to listen, to try to find solutions to the problems and hopefully we can prevent this from happening again,” Troxler said.

Farms that sit adjacent to federal fish and wildlife refuge sites flood frequently. The refuge land, farmers said, is not equipped to handle heavy rain, so the runoff runs onto their land, drowning their crops.

“This farm can’t drain, so not only am I holding my five inches, I’m holding a good portion of that refuge water on my land,” Ferebee said

McCrory said he’s currently working with the federal government to try and protect farmers from going through this again, whether from a tropical storm system or a run of the mill rain storm that throws their crops into chaos.

Farmers said they are keeping a close eye on their land and hoping floodwaters recede quickly, allowing them to salvage most of their crops.