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The ongoing drought conditions and August’s heat wave are taking their toll on agriculture around The T&D Region.

While trees might not be the first thing people think about during a drought or prolonged periods of extreme heat, they are on the front line in the battle landowners and farmers are waging against Mother Nature.

"Unless you are under water restriction, your trees should be first in line for a drink from the garden hose today," says Liz Gillard, South Carolina Forest Program manager.

"When the soil moisture content declines, trees become more stressed and begin to react because their biological process is damaged," she said. "The drought and heat make the tree roots vulnerable to disease."

Joe Rochester, a forester from St. Matthews, says the drought has been both good and bad for the industry.

"The loggers have been able to get into areas that normally might be too wet to bring equipment in," he said. "But seedlings just planted are having a hard time."

Johney Haralson of Denmark, Regional Tree Farmer of 2007, said it will probably be a while until the extent of the drought damage to the trees is known.

Jason Still, a young poultry and hay farmer near Hilda, says while his operation is time consuming and uncertain, it is the best job he ever had. He said he adapts to the weather conditions. For instance, Still said his three breeder chicken houses are insulated more than is recommended by his partner, Carolina Farms. Poultry is noted for being unable to tolerate heat, which is why Still increased the breeder house insulation. To date he has lost only about 100 birds, he said.

Still also produces high-quality Bermuda hay. This year a 60-acre field produced only 100 bales, much less than usual, he said. On top of that, the nitrogen fertilizer price needed for protein has increased by $200-250 a ton. In addition. Still also has the expenses of equipment and gas for applying the fertilizer, cutting the hay, tettering and fluffing it before it is baled.

Sonny Zorn, a retired Denmark farmer and agriculture teacher, said producers who borrowed to plant their crops this year are going to suffer when the loans come due and the crops bring less or fail because of the drought.

Thanks to drip irrigation, farmer Tommy Hutto said, the crops on his leased land are surviving the drought and extreme heat.

Bill Terry, a former South Carolina Department of Agriculture employee, notes that drip irrigation has been used for many years in the arid counties and does preserve a lot of water. However, he said, a large amount of water doesn’t get into the soil in the overhead irrigation commonly used in this area.

According to trade publications such as "Farm Journal," livestock producers can expect lower profit for their products because of high feed cost, low grain yields and premium hay prices.

Providing shade, such as the sunshades that Clemson Experiment Station is using, helps cattle utilize feed during high temperatures. However, extreme heat affects the cattle’s rate of gain, which is the producer’s profit. Shade also affects the amount of milk the dairy cows can produce.

Cattlemen who are using alternative feeds will probably survive, said Terry, who is also a cattle producer. He said soybean hulls can replace corn, about four to five pounds per cow, and free access to quality minerals and water, plus less hay, will get cattle producers through another season.

Looking ahead to next year, many producers say they are considering planting more cool weather grains and grasses to survive since hay may be short again.

T&D Correspondent Bettylou R. Terry can be reached by phone at 803-793-3381. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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