Extra help is coming to North Georgian farmers suffering drought

CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) — Catoosa county is one of four counties under an extreme drought.

The effect the drought has had on farmers is high.

Sandy Brown the Co-Owner of Brown’s Produce said, “It has an effect on us because some things we can not irrigate and some things we can. But like the turnip greens and stuff out there didn’t come up. They didn’t, they just didn’t do good. We usually got turnip greens up to our knees by now.”

They have seen a major cutback in their yield.

The drought also makes exceptional weather for wildfires.

“Probably about 90%. It’s been bad this year. Somebody threw a cigarette out from the freeway and it caught our hay field on fire and it burned up. We have had it a little tough this year,” said Brown.

The drought doesn’t just affect the produce, it also affects the pocketbook.

Brown said, “Financially, it hurts us pretty bad. We are way behind on what we usually make but that’s just the way it goes, I reckon.”

The declaration will allow the Farm Service Agency to give additional emergency credit to farmers.

Brown’s Produce is thankful for the extra help.

“It’s going to help a lot. It’ll help us a whole lot. We still have bills to pay and everything jumped up, fertilize, spray, everything. It makes it rougher,” said Brown.

The help couldn’t come soon enough.

Brown said, “We’ve run out of squash, and cucumbers and like I said the greens are about gone. We’ve got collard and mustard left. But that’s about it.”

Under the declaration Hamilton County was also listed as a contiguous county.