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Hurricane Arthur Damaged Hyde County Corn Crops

Corn Damage
Brian Long

The path that Hurricane Arthur took last week hit an area of the state where a lot of corn is grown.  And several farmers will be affected.

State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and staff traveled by Forest Service plane to see the crop damage first hand.  Ag spokesman Brian Long says a lot of the damage was in Hyde County, known for growing corn.

“There are parts of Hyde County where you can just look and you would almost think you were somewhere in the Midwest, because it’s just is corn, and corn, and corn," said Long.

Long says when they landed, they definitely saw the impact of Hurricane Arthur.

“The corn was twisted or snapped off by the wind.  And you’ve got stalks lying on the ground," said Long.

And when that happens, harvesting is difficult.  Younger corn crops and soy beans and cotton low to the ground withstood the wind a little bit better.  Long says early reports show a 30- to 40-percent loss of crop in some areas.

A lot of the corn grown in Hyde County is for livestock feed and fuel.

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.
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