Heavy Rains Bring Big Concerns For Farmers

After days of storms and heavy rainfall, some Triad farmers are beginning to crave sunshine for their crops. 

In recent days, the Piedmont and High Country have been inundated with up to 7 inches of rain in some areas.

Forecaster Dennis Sleighter with the National Weather Service says several consecutive days of storms mean the ground is fully saturated and primed for flash floods.

For Stokes County organic farmer Cheryl Ferguson of Plum Granny Farm, the rain has kept her from preparing the land for fall crops, and it's also affecting those that are about to be harvested.

“We're starting to get some of our summer squashes and things like that in," she says. "The impact the rain's had on them is that they're starting to mold some. They have a really thick canopy of leaves  and so it's really hard for them to dry out.”

Ferguson notes this year has been characterized by a cycle of dry spells followed by heavy rains.  

She says some of her crops are grown in a greenhouse and covered environments. The farm is considering covering more crops in the future.