StevenB
11-15-2007, 06:39 PM
My original title for this thread was 'affects of the drought that the mainstream news doesn't cover.' But it seems better titled as a learning tool. I am quite unsure if this is the correct place for this, so if it isn't then you all have my apologies. We (Wife, son and myself) live in an area of NC that is currently under the 'exceptional' rating of drought affecting the southeastern US and I thought, if there was any interest, in an effort to contribute to the foum community I would share a bit of what has been going on and what we have learned as we have been under this drought. Anyone that has been affected by this is welcome to post their thoughts, observations, questions or discussions. For that matter, those that aren't directly affected are welcome to post, too. :wink:
A bit of background:
We have had between 3.5" to 5" of rain, to date, since July 4th. The disparity of the amount comes from differences within the county. Last time I heard an official figure for our very non-metropolitan county(Late October), we were down almost 23" for the year in average rainfall.
These are the things that have seen that has impacted our family that either we didn't expect, hadn't thought about, or really didn't hit home until we actually saw them happen.
1) Vultures. In flocks. Obviously, the wildlife is starting to die off from lack of water. Its not uncommon to see a vulture or two occasionally in a field or next to the road, but in one 15 minute drive I counted 3 flocks of vultures with no less that 6 birds per flock. Two flocks were in fields, one was on the side of the road. It is, by far, the largest concentration of them I have ever seen. My concern is that if they are indicitive of that much carrion in the area, then is there a danger for the groundwater to become contaminated by runoff when the rain does come?
2) Fireants. We live in an area that already has fireants, so dealing with them is not something new to us. (For those of you that don't have them, consider yourself blessed, indeed). What rain we have had came in a 3-day long shower near the end of October. Within 6 hours of the rain ending,we had no fewer than 11 mounds of at least 12" in height. They had been burrowing during the long dry spell and with the rain, came out of the ground in FORCE and were MAD. This was no isolated incident. Every family we talked to had the same story to tell about the zeal and the speed these pests invaded. For those of you who have dealt with them, you know why I say that fireant problems deserve to be a prep concern.
3) Crops. The first planting of corn in the fields was, at best, poor and farmers were baling the stalks as silage. The second planting of corn never materialized. The farmers that sowed soybeans instead of a second crop of corn didn't fare any better. Most plants only got to 18" tall and couldn't be baled for silage for cattle. End result? The price of beef plummeted regionally a couple of months ago as cattlemen sold off most, if not all, of their stock. They simply couldn't feed them. There are no pastures to speak of, everything has either died back or has been grazed down to nearly nothing. We are expecting the price of locally grown or produced foodstuffs; meat, dairy and fruits in particular, to either skyrocket or simply be unavailable next year.
4)Land. Crops have failed and the last attempts at a final planting of winter wheat are underway, but for many; it is too late. there are a LOT of farms for sale or that has gone to auction. However, with the timing of the housing market meltdown, no one can or is buying farmland. Just a year ago, developers woul dhave been flocking like vultures to buy up any available farmland. Not anymore. No one is buying either because the developers know they can't sell, or because individual buyers can't get financing. While this doesn't affect us personally, the sight of NUMEROUS 'Land for sale' or 'Auction' notices is a bit unsettling to the psyche.
Finally, and most disturbingly, are the reports of 'good, decent and upstanding members of the community' tearing themselves and their families apart. The kind of folks that you think of when you think of middle-class Rural America; Church-going, involved in the kid's sports, PTA members. Rumours of spouses leaving in the middle of the night, alcohol-related problems and the increase in 'hunting accidents.' (good upstanding members of the community don't commit suicide, they have 'hunting accidents' or 'gun cleaning' accidents). It is showing us just how VERY important mindset and actual, true spritual condition is during a protracted time of crisis.
A bit of background:
We have had between 3.5" to 5" of rain, to date, since July 4th. The disparity of the amount comes from differences within the county. Last time I heard an official figure for our very non-metropolitan county(Late October), we were down almost 23" for the year in average rainfall.
These are the things that have seen that has impacted our family that either we didn't expect, hadn't thought about, or really didn't hit home until we actually saw them happen.
1) Vultures. In flocks. Obviously, the wildlife is starting to die off from lack of water. Its not uncommon to see a vulture or two occasionally in a field or next to the road, but in one 15 minute drive I counted 3 flocks of vultures with no less that 6 birds per flock. Two flocks were in fields, one was on the side of the road. It is, by far, the largest concentration of them I have ever seen. My concern is that if they are indicitive of that much carrion in the area, then is there a danger for the groundwater to become contaminated by runoff when the rain does come?
2) Fireants. We live in an area that already has fireants, so dealing with them is not something new to us. (For those of you that don't have them, consider yourself blessed, indeed). What rain we have had came in a 3-day long shower near the end of October. Within 6 hours of the rain ending,we had no fewer than 11 mounds of at least 12" in height. They had been burrowing during the long dry spell and with the rain, came out of the ground in FORCE and were MAD. This was no isolated incident. Every family we talked to had the same story to tell about the zeal and the speed these pests invaded. For those of you who have dealt with them, you know why I say that fireant problems deserve to be a prep concern.
3) Crops. The first planting of corn in the fields was, at best, poor and farmers were baling the stalks as silage. The second planting of corn never materialized. The farmers that sowed soybeans instead of a second crop of corn didn't fare any better. Most plants only got to 18" tall and couldn't be baled for silage for cattle. End result? The price of beef plummeted regionally a couple of months ago as cattlemen sold off most, if not all, of their stock. They simply couldn't feed them. There are no pastures to speak of, everything has either died back or has been grazed down to nearly nothing. We are expecting the price of locally grown or produced foodstuffs; meat, dairy and fruits in particular, to either skyrocket or simply be unavailable next year.
4)Land. Crops have failed and the last attempts at a final planting of winter wheat are underway, but for many; it is too late. there are a LOT of farms for sale or that has gone to auction. However, with the timing of the housing market meltdown, no one can or is buying farmland. Just a year ago, developers woul dhave been flocking like vultures to buy up any available farmland. Not anymore. No one is buying either because the developers know they can't sell, or because individual buyers can't get financing. While this doesn't affect us personally, the sight of NUMEROUS 'Land for sale' or 'Auction' notices is a bit unsettling to the psyche.
Finally, and most disturbingly, are the reports of 'good, decent and upstanding members of the community' tearing themselves and their families apart. The kind of folks that you think of when you think of middle-class Rural America; Church-going, involved in the kid's sports, PTA members. Rumours of spouses leaving in the middle of the night, alcohol-related problems and the increase in 'hunting accidents.' (good upstanding members of the community don't commit suicide, they have 'hunting accidents' or 'gun cleaning' accidents). It is showing us just how VERY important mindset and actual, true spritual condition is during a protracted time of crisis.