LaFAYETTE, Ga. – Heat, a lack of rain and hungry army worms have laid siege to some hay fields in North Georgia and, in some cases, farmers were forced to raise the white flag.
“I’ve never seen the crop hurt as bad,” said Walker County hay farmer Louis Hunt, who dodged the worms but got plenty of heat. “The late hay is just gone. I’ve got hay that just completely died.”
Much of North Georgia, North Alabama and East Tennessee have been classified under “abnormally dry” conditions by the National Drought Mitigation Center. Chattanooga is about 10 inches behind its normal year-to-date rainfall totals.
Hunt said heat had as much to do with it as anything. Even the nights, he said, were hotter than normal, which threw off the hay’s growing cycles. Hay is used to feed animals including horses, cattle and goats.
In Tennessee, hay farmers appear to be a little better off but are seeing mixed returns so far. Bradley County farmer Ken Simmons said his crop looks good but hasn’t grown very high, and his yield probably will be cut in half compared to a good year.
Marion County farmer Brandon Richardson said crops that he planted in creek bottoms fared all right, but drier land came up short.
“You just don’t have the consistency,” he said.
And things were even worse at farms in Gordon and Walker counties that had visits from army worms.
Greg Bowman, Bartow County extension agent and interim agent in Gordon County, said the pests, actually caterpillars, are not uncommon in North Georgia but also are not an annual occurrence. This year, the caterpillars seem to have had a second round of hatching, which is a little unusual, he said.
“They’ll really do a number on pastures,” Bowman said. “They’ll do just like their names – they’ll march across the ground like an army, consuming.”
He said the siege also was intensified because the dry, hot weather already had stressed the grasses.
“In farming there’s always something to contend with,” said Walker County farmer Ray Burnfin.
Some farmers, Bowman said, lost most of their yields and will have to hope surpluses from a wet spring will carry them through.
Contact Andy Johns at ajohns@timesfreepress.com or call 423-757-6324.