‘We don’t really have a choice’: Arkansas farmer replants after floods destroy crops
Rain has fallen every day in April, which has caused flooding at the farm and destroyed many crops. For example, Miles said about 400 acres of corn – 15 percent of the farm’s yield – have been lost.
Rounds of severe storms, recent flooding wipes out crops at Arkansas farm
Matt Miles, a fourth-generation farmer and owner of Miles Farms in southeast Arkansas, grows corn, soybeans, rice and cotton. His crops were destroyed during recent rainfall and flooding causing him to have to replant this week. He joined FOX Weather to discuss what he says "is the worst thing that can happen to a farmer."
MCGEHEE, Ark. – Matt Miles and his team at Miles Farms in southeastern Arkansas have lost hundreds of acres of corn, soybeans and other crops this planting season due to extreme weather conditions.
Rain has fallen every day in April, which has caused flooding at the farm and destroyed many crops. For example, Miles said about 400 acres of corn – 15 percent of the farm’s yield – have been lost.
Crops at Miles Farms.
(Miles Farms / FOX Weather)
Miles has resorted to replanting some of his corn to reduce losses by the season's end. Planting this late in the season in the Arkansas Delta, however, is a risky move.
"We don't really have a choice, but we've got to get it done and be able to feed the world," he said.
RAIN OVERWHELMS CREEKS, STREAMS IN ARKANSAS
Miles Farms in McGehee, Arkansas.
(Miles Farms / FOX Weather)
In addition to the planting season, Miles also has to contend with the upcoming weather. More days of rain are in the forecast next week, so he decided to replant on Wednesday to beat the rain and still have some time for the crops to grow in the season.
WHAT SEASON DO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES GROW IN?
Miles, a fourth-generation farmer, is no stranger to battling the elements to produce maximum crop yields.
"That's just something we have to deal with as farmers," he said. "That's our biggest limiting factor is adverse weather."
Crops at Miles Farms.
(Miles Farms / FOX Weather)
He noted that in addition to weather affecting the planting season, it could also impact the harvest later in the year, which falls within the hurricane season.
Because of this, Miles and his team watch the weather to check for rain and wind produced by hurricanes in the Gulf and how they may impact his crops.