- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
Jay, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Jay farmer Ryan Jenkins joined Pensacola's Morning News Friday with an update on conditions for farmers across the north end of Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties — and says the combination of a months-long drought followed by nearly 19 inches of rain in recent weeks has created one of the most challenging planting seasons he can remember.
From Drought to Flood
Jenkins says the region has been in drought conditions since roughly last August — leaving fields too dry to plant through the spring. When rain finally arrived farmers rushed to get peanuts and cotton in the ground — only to be hit almost immediately by a series of heavy rain events that flooded fields and forced large-scale replanting. Jenkins says he has already replanted more than 300 acres of cotton and still has peanuts to replant. Wheat and oat harvests — typically completed in May during a dry stretch — were also significantly hurt by the rain.
Crop Insurance Crunch
Today is the final plant date for maximum crop insurance coverage — meaning every day that passes from here reduces the coverage percentage while farmers continue paying 100 percent of the premium. After ten days past the final plant date coverage caps at 50 percent regardless of what has been paid in. Jenkins says he is still sitting on hundreds of acres of peanuts, cotton, and soybeans waiting to go in the ground — fields that as of this week were still too wet to walk into in some cases.
The Bigger Picture
Jenkins was careful not to catastrophize — noting that late plantings sometimes avoid early droughts or hurricanes that would have hurt crops planted on a normal schedule. He says farming always carries uncertainty and says faith and resilience get farmers through what spreadsheets cannot explain. But he was clear that the ag economy was already under significant stress heading into this season and that this year offered no margin for the kind of setbacks that have arrived.
Safety Message
Jenkins closed with a direct request to drivers in the north end of both counties — farm equipment is running day and night on rural roads as farmers race to finish planting before deadlines expire. He asks drivers to be patient and careful when encountering slow-moving tractors and farm machinery.
Farm Fact
Jenkins plants approximately 86,000 peanut seeds per acre — between 113 and 150 pounds of seed depending on the variety. He says a lot of math goes into farming every single day and that his crew counts seeds by the pound each year to verify they are hitting their planting targets.