Rain Puts Harvest on Hold for Some Arkansas Growers

First posted on 09-09-2010

Some Arkansas producers are losing harvest time, thanks to rain-soaked remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture said Wednesday.

“The rain has put a hold on harvest until it stops and we can get a little sunshine,” said Randy Chlapecka, Jackson County extension staff chair for the U of A Division of Agriculture. “Rice harvest was going well until the rains started Tuesday morning.”

“Most of our row crop farmers were not wanting rain at this time so as to not delay harvest and to avoid rutting of fields,” he said. “But obviously it will benefit some later soybeans and pastures.”
Tom Barber, extension cotton agronomist for the U of A Division of Agriculture, said the rain was “delaying defoliation and harvest a day or two.”

“Hopefully, it will dry up in the next day or two,” he said.

The story was the same in southern Arkansas, said Chad Norton, Lincoln County staff chair for the division.

“We were able to harvest yesterday, but will not today,” Norton said Wednesday. “So far we have not received very much rain but this will shut us down until we get some sunshine. “Most of our rice that is left to be harvested is down, which is significantly slowing harvest,” he said.

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