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  Title	FALL FARM 2024: Droughts, storms: 'Tough year' in Calhoun
  ID	4406848
  External ID	7248661952
  Author	Gene Zaleski
  Published Date	Oct. 26, 2024, 12:29 a.m.
  Summary	Low commodity prices and roller-coaster weather swings that threw everything but the kitchen sink at Calhoun County farmers made for a challenging 2024 growing season. "We had all the Lord could thro
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  URL	https://thetandd.com/news/local/business/farming-tough-year-in-calhoun-sc/article_53c6e7b6-6c80-11ef-9653-4f87922177c6.html
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  Content ID	2624323
  Key	1985abfc-48bc-49fd-a9ba-63c482ece58b
  Content	Low commodity prices and roller-coaster weather swings that threw everything but the kitchen sink at Calhoun County farmers made for a challenging 2024 growing season. "We had all the Lord could throw at us," Calhoun County farmer Monty Rast said, noting a meme in farming: "Gambling should be legalized: Farmers shouldn't have all the fun." "Every year is different," Rast said. "Once nature throws you a curve, it is being able to adapt as a grower that is a key component of being a farmer. It is being able to deal with adversity. In the end, the Lord gives you what you think you need." Rast had just gotten into the cotton harvest at the time of this writing and said he has seen two bales or better of the crop per acre. Peanut harvest so far has has been "average or better." Cotton harvest was underway in Calhoun County in the early part of October. Bales of cotton dot the landscape of a cotton field at the corner … Rast also grew corn. "Dryland was terrible," Rast said. "Where they saw water, it was 200 bushels (an acre); where they did not get water, 10 bushels. Calhoun County farmer Drake Perrow grew corn, cotton and peanuts. The growing season was unlike any he has seen. Cotton harvest was underway in Calhoun County in the early part of October. Bales of cotton dot the landscape of a cotton field at the corner … "No," Perrow said when asked if he had ever seen a year quite like 2024 in farming. "Not with the extremes like they were." "It was a pretty tough year," he continued. "We went from dry weather, then wet weather and then back to dry." Despite the extremes, Perrow said overall "it is going to end up being a fairly good crop." "Irrigated corn was good," he said. "Dryland was dependent on where you got rain. It went from poor to fair on dryland." Perrow said cotton was doing well until storm winds blew it down. And peanuts have done well, he said. Peanut growers in the Lone Star area have lighter grounds and the drier weather did have more of an impact on the peanut crop. Perrow and Rast were not alone. "Overall, this year has been a tough year for row crop farmers and their crops," Interim Clemson Extension Associate for Calhoun County Zach Dantzler said. "The county has gone through severe droughts early in the season with five to six weeks of no rain and high temperatures, to a hurricane that brought in 10 inches of rain, to finally another drought during the reproductive stages of the crops." The result? "Our dryland corn averages have been poor, leaving some fields to have to be abandoned," Dantzler said. "The hurricane caused the cotton to be twisted up and lodged, which brought in bacterial disease and made spraying application impossible without sacrificing some yield." "However, peanuts and soybeans have remained looking good throughout this growing season," Dantzler said. Hurricane Helene substantiated fears of growers that high winds could cause damage to open and defoliated cotton. "The lint was blown out of the bolls onto the ground," Dantzler said. "Yield loss is anywhere from 10% to 24% in some fields." Corn (non-irrigated) About 3,002 acres of dryland corn were planted with the average yield ranging from 0 bushels to 100. Dantzler projected the county average would be closer to 60-70 bushels once it was all harvested. He said farmers like to see about 120 bushels to 160 bushels per acre. He said the crop that was successful benefited from rainfall and proper soil fertility while the dryland crop was hurt by drought and then heavy rains and drought again prior to harvest. Dantzler said he saw some nematode issues, gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight and rust in the crop. "All of these caused some yield loss but not anything significant," he said. "Also, I have heard a lot of reports saying buying points are refusing loads of corn due to aflatoxin." Corn prices per bushel were about $4.11 at the time of this article. The prices are below the $6 to $6.50 farmers would like to see. Corn (irrigated) About 5,459 acres of irrigated corn was planted with the average yield between 180 and 235 bushels per acre. Growers would like to see irrigated yields between 250 and 300 bushels per acre. The crops benefited from timely irrigation events during the two major drought periods, Dantzler said. Ehrhardt beef cattle farmer Andrew Carter, with over 50 years of experience, faced challenges in 2024 including a drought impacting hay production, high input costs and government regulations affecting equipment expenses. Dantzler said the irrigated corn was pollinating during Tropical Storm Debby, which caused some pollination issues. "I also observed a fair amount of corn that lodged due to the high winds," Dantzler said. Peanuts Virginias and runner (non-irrigated and irrigated) About 1,439 acres of irrigated Virginia and 4,025 acres of irrigated runners were planted. There were about 393 acres of dryland Virginia and 3,787 dryland runners. Virginias were averaging about 4.800-5.400. Runners, at the time of this writing, were still being dug and combined in the county. Farmers would like to see irrigated peanut yields of at least 5,000 pounds and runners between 2 tons and 2-1/2 tons. The peanut crop this year benefited from proper irrigation and fungicide applications, plus soil fertility, Dantzler said. "Most of the peanuts in Calhoun County looked good," Dantzler said. "It is possible some of the dryland crop took a loss in yield from the lack of rain this year and delayed planting." Dantzler said at the time of this writing that most of the fields not dug were starting to show symptoms of late leaf spot. He said the disease could lead to premature leaf drop and loss of healthy vines and pegs, causing the peanuts to get left behind in the soil or fall to the ground. The hope was that the fields could be dug soon before the late leaf spot starts to decrease yields, Dantzler said. Peanut prices were below the $600 per ton that farmers would like to see. Dantzler said peanut contract prices for Virginias were about $550 a ton and for runners $530 a ton. Cotton (irrigated, non-irrigated) The county saw 9,725 acres of irrigated cotton planted and about 11,015 acres of non-irrigated cotton in 2024. Cotton had just begun to be defoliated at the time of this writing and yields were unknown. The crop did benefit from proper irrigation, soil fertility, and plant growth regulator and insecticide timing, though cotton was hurt by Debby. "The crop had a full boll load, which caused majority of the cotton to lodge and get twisted up," Dantzler said. "This made spraying operations difficult and caused some farmers to sacrifice running over fruit to spray. There were also some areas of the field that flooded out, causing plants to die." Dantzler said there were fields early in the season that were damaged by thrips. In some cases, a replant was needed. Orangeburg County farmers, including Harry Wimberly, Thad, and Harrison, faced unprecedented challenges in 2024 due to a series of natural disasters and low commodity prices. Target spot, aerolite or false mildew, and the cotton leaf complex diseases, began moving into the cotton crop following Debby and in some cases caused a loss of up to two-thirds of the crop. "These leaf diseases caused severe defoliation and loss of fruiting positions," Dantzler said. "There have also been some issues with stink bugs damaging bolls in some of the county." Cotton prices, like other commodities, were down about 71 cents a pound from where farmers would like to see them at 90 cents a pound. Soybeans (non-irrigated and irrigated) About 2,156 irrigated acres of soybeans and 3,229 non-irrigated acres were planted in Calhoun County. Dryland soybeans on average are expected to see between 30 to 40 bushels an acre and irrigated soybeans about 50 to 55 bushels per acre. Dantzler said farmers would like to see between 60 to 70 bushels per acre "if they can do it with the increased cost of inputs." Dantzler said timely and adequate irrigation schedules and insecticide applications helped the crop while multiple periods of drought caused stunted plant growth, as well as a decreased overall pod fill. "Also, the hurricanes have caused soybean fields to flood, causing the plant to completely die," he said. Soybeans did see some insect pressure to include: foliage feeding worms, 3-corner alfalfa hoppers, kudzu bugs, plant bugs and stink bugs. He said all caused some yield loss and defoliation if the soybeans were not sprayed with an insecticide. "I also observed some soybeans with nematode issues from root knot nematodes and Columbia lance, which caused the plants to be severally stunted and in some cases were dead," Dantzler said. Soybean prices were at about $10.39 per bushel, down from the $16 a bushel desired by farmers. Sesame Sesame was not a crop that really caught on this year in Calhoun. He said there were maybe one or two farmers who grew the crop. About 25 acres were planted with dryland yields of about 600 pounds an acre and irrigated between 1,200 to 1,500 pounds. Dantzler said the crop experienced decreased acreage and there were some stand issues. "In the first year it was mostly successful; most farmers averaged 650-700 pounds if it was planted in time as a double crop behind something like cereal rye," Dantzler said. "It was a good crop to have planted in a dryland field with heavy deer pressure." This year the crop that did make it received adequate and timely rainfall after early planting. The late-planted crop contended with some drought issues, which led to a decreased yield. Disease and insect issues were not noticed in the crop. Sesame prices were at 40 cents a pound contract price, below the desired at least 60 cents a pound that farmers would like to see. Dantzler said the crop could have a future in the county if demand increases. "The market price dropped almost in half this year due to China having too much supply," he said. Wheat (grain) About 350 acres of wheat were planted in the county with an average yield between 40 and 45 bushels an acre. This is below the 60 to 65 bushels desired by farmers. "Calhoun County had good weather during harvest season last year, which allowed the farmers to plant wheat on time," Dantzler said. No insect or disease issues were observed and "no preventive sprays were sprayed," Dantzler said. Soft red wheat is $5.81 per bushel and hard red wheat is $5.73 a bushel. Farmers would like to see prices closer to $10 to $11 a bushel. Input costs According to ag market information provider DTN, fertilizer prices generally continued to be lower than they were a year ago. DAP is 5% higher while MAP is 8% higher looking back to last year. The remaining six fertilizers are lower. 10-34-0 is 3% lower, both potash and UAN28 are 9% less expensive, anhydrous is 10% lower, UAN32 is 13% lower and urea is 14% lower compared to last year. DAP (diammonium phosphate) had an average price of $740/ton; MAP (monoammonium phosphate) $814/ton; potash $459/ton; urea $485/ton, 10-34-0 (simplot liquid ammonium phosphate) $594/ton; anhydrous $685/ton; UAN28 $320/ton, and UAN32 $351/ton. Overview According to 2022 Census of Agriculture data, Calhoun County is home to 286 farms, consisting of about 108,019 acres. The number of farms has decreased from 480 in 2017 and the acreage has also decreased from 148,718 acres. The average farm size is 378 acres, which is larger than the average 310 acres in 2017. Dantzler said agriculture in Calhoun County is a significant part of life. "Most families that live in Calhoun County farm for a living or do it part time," Dantzler said. "Agriculture is important to the residents that live here, and they are passionate about striving to make it successful." "Row crop farming has a major impact on Calhoun County's economy since they currently have two cotton gins, two peanut-buying points and multiple commercial pesticide and fertilizer dealers," Dantzler said. Overall, Calhoun County ranked ninth among the 46 counties in the total market value of crops sold with a total value of $62.1 million. When adding livestock and poultry, the county ranks 20th with a total market value of $80.5 million. The county ranked third in cotton sold at $17.4 million and second in other crops and hay at $11.4 million. The county's largest row crops in planted acres in descending order are cotton, peanuts, corn and soybeans. The agricultural census is taken ever five years with the latest numbers released in February of this year. Contact the writer: gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5551. Check out Zaleski on Twitter at @ZaleskiTD.
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