Hurricane Michael’s High Winds Threaten Carolina Cotton Crops

North and South Carolina farmers are preparing for a different hurricane-related challenge than they faced from Hurricane Florence. The biggest challenge from Florence was very heavy rainfall that flooded fields and livestock operations. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says Michael’s high-powered winds are the big story of this storm. Politico says the category four storm strength makes it the most intense storm to hit the Florida panhandle. It was downgraded to category one while moving into Georgia and heading to the Carolinas. Less than 10 percent of the cotton had already been harvested in both Georgia and the Carolinas. Cotton from the southeastern U.S. makes up 30 percent of the country’s total production. Between the harsh weather and the 25 percent tariff on cotton going into China during the trade war, growers are literally caught between a rock and a “wet” place. Wayne Boseman, president of the Carolina Cotton Growers Cooperative, says they started off the year doing well. “Now, the hurricane is taking away the crop and the trade war is taking away the price,” Boseman says. “That combination is putting farmers in severe financial constraints.”