Crops in southern Duplin suffered damage in storm
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on September 16, 2005 1:46 PM
KENANSVILLE --Crops in the southern end of Duplin County weren't as lucky as those in the northern section of the county during Hurricane Ophelia.
Cooperative Extension Ser-vice Director Ed Emory said many fields of corn ready for harvest were blown down in the southern part of the county. He said about 60 percent of the Duplin corn crop was still in the field when Ophelia hit.
Emory estimated the loss to the corn crop at about $2.1 million.
Duplin farmers also lost about 20 percent of the 500 acres of tobacco still in the fields when strong winds blew the remaining leaves from the plants, Emory said. He estimated the tobacco loss at a little more than $200,000.
Emory said the rain from Ophelia came at a good time for the peanut crop. Wind damage to peanuts and soybeans was minimal, he said.
Cotton did not fare as well. Emory said farmers saw a 20 percent loss of cotton. He estimated the damage to the cotton yield at about $1.6 million.
There were no reports of livestock or poultry loss, Emory said, and no severe structural damage to barns or livestock or poultry houses.
"For the most pert we were extremely fortunate," he said.