Under the weather: Lengthy drought has NC farmers ‘praying for the rain’
by Jane Winik Sartwell, Carolina Public Press March 21, 2025
Last year was an all-time low in the history of North Carolina farming, thanks to drought and flood.
Farmers are desperate to catch a break in 2025. But just as planting season begins, large swaths of the state are still plagued by dry conditions. At the same time, an active wildfire season has complicated matters.
“We really need a good start,” Jacob Morgan, the extension director for Jones County, told Carolina Public Press. “Planting is going to start any minute.”
Morgan, and the farmers he assists, may not be so lucky. Severe or moderate drought has persisted in coastal Jones County since early November 2024.
Neighboring Onslow County is experiencing a severe drought.
And 55 more counties are in moderate drought — an arid patch that stretches all the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains in the west.
Only one area in the state has escaped abnormally dry conditions: Franklin County in the Piedmont region.
“We’ve been lucky because it has been wintertime and demand is low,” explained Klaus Albertin, who chairs the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council. “Crops are dormant. Lawns and gardens aren’t being maintained. But we’re about to go into spring and demands are really going to start picking up. There is increasing concern.”
Agriculture anxieties
Corn is typically the first crop farmers plant in the spring and last year it was decimated by drought. Yield losses climbed to hundreds of millions of dollars across the state.
This year, corn farmers are desperate for good news. But it hasn’t come yet.
The sandy soil of eastern North Carolina does not retain moisture well, and a dry spell this early on could lead to trouble. Any precipitation the region does receive could get soaked up pretty quickly.
“You need it to be dry to get out into the fields to plant, but you need enough soil moisture to get the crop up,” Morgan said. “It’s a real dance — especially for corn. There is such a short window of pollination, and if conditions aren’t right during that window, it could spell disaster.”
And that’s what happened last year.
High and dry: The sun hangs over Wilmington as area farmers hope for a rainy day. Jane Winik Sartwell / Carolina Public Press
“We are praying for the rain,” said Shawn Banks, Carteret County’s extension director.
Fortunately, recent rains have slightly eased drought conditions across the state. Still, even though things are starting to bloom, it may not be a sign that North Carolina is out of trouble.
“Drought is not just skin deep,” said Corey Davis, a drought expert at the State Climate Office. “Even if there are puddles in your yard or the grass is turning green, that doesn’t mean we’re out of this drought. We still have those entrenched impacts in deeper soils and groundwater stores.”
Drought has one benefit
One good thing about this dry run: It’s aiding Tropical Storm Helene recovery efforts in Western North Carolina.
“This warm, dry weather will definitely help move along the stream bank repair work and bridge and road infrastructure construction out west,” Mitch Woodward, a state extension agent specializing in watershed protection, told CPP.
“They don’t need anymore rain or mud out there for awhile.”
As winter recedes, it’s given way to warmer weather and a North Carolina landscape that has proven to be intensely combustible. A lightning strike can be enough to ignite a wildfire. But as CPP recently reported, the majority of wildfires have been caused by careless people.
Spring is a dangerous time for wildfires. Dead leaves and branches on the forest floor serve as kindling. The sun gets hotter and hotter each day, with no foliage to provide shade.
Until the forest canopy fills in completely, there will be a risk of wildfire, Colby Lambert, an eastern North Carolina extension agent specializing in forestry, told CPP.
“Everything is just very flammable at the moment,” Albertin said. “Low humidity combined with the lack of rainfall and high winds — that’s going to increase the risk of wildfire.”
This, too, has an economic impact. Morgan is worried about valuable timber lands in Jones County burning up.
And the problem isn’t going away.
On Thursday, in fact, the N.C. Forest Service was dealing with two wildfires sparking in Polk County on the South Carolina line.
SUMMARY: Jim Jenkins, a North Carolina baseball trailblazer and Negro Leagues player, exemplified resilience and excellence both on and off the field. His sons recall his superior skills—hitting, running, and catching—and how he faced challenges due to his skin color. Beyond baseball, Jenkins was a community father, teaching youths fundamentals and helping those in need. He shared a friendship with legend Hank Aaron, often attending Braves games with his family. His legacy endures through his children, who honor not just his athletic achievements but his kindness and humanity, inspiring future generations to carry on his impact.
James “Jim” Jenkins had a profound impact on the game of baseball as a trailblazer known in the Carolinas.
SUMMARY: A scientist reflecting on the politicization of science warns that ideological influence undermines objectivity, breeds mistrust, and hampers public understanding. The FY2026 budget proposal cut NIH funding by about 40%, saving taxpayers $18 billion, but only 1.5% of the total federal budget, while increasing defense spending by 13%. These cuts severely impact states like North Carolina, where science drives $2.4 billion in tax revenue and thousands of jobs. The cuts target indirect costs vital for research infrastructure and diversity efforts, mistakenly seen as ideological rather than essential scientific practices. The author calls for unity to prioritize facts over politics and protect scientific progress for societal and economic health.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-15 02:01:00
North Carolina’s U.S. House members voted along party lines on two Republican-backed bills: the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), which cuts \$1.6 trillion in government spending, and the “Rescissions Act of 2025” (H.R. 4), which eliminates \$9.4 billion from entities like USAID and public broadcasting. Republicans called it a purge of waste, citing spending on drag shows and foreign projects. Democrats criticized the cuts as harmful and symbolic, calling the effort fiscally irresponsible. H.R. 1 passed 215-214; H.R. 4 passed 214-212. No Democrats supported either. A few Republicans broke ranks and voted against their party on each bill.
(The Center Square) – North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives were unwavering of party preference for two bills now awaiting finalization in the Senate.
Republicans who favored them say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, known also as House Resolution 1, slashed $1.6 trillion in waste, fraud and abuse of government systems. The Rescissions Act of 2025, known also as House Resolution 4, did away with $9.4 billion – less than six-tenths of 1% of the other legislation – in spending by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Corp. for Public Broadcasting (PBS, NPR), and other entities.
Democrats against them say the Department of Government Efficiency made “heartless budget cuts” and was an “attack on the resources that North Carolinians were promised and that Congress has already appropriated.”
Republicans from North Carolina in favor of both were Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
Democrats against were Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.
Foxx said the surface was barely skimmed with cuts of “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at our southern border; $24,000 for a national spelling bee in Bosnia; $1.5 million to mobilize elderly, lesbian, transgender, nonbinary and intersex people to be involved in the Costa Rica political process; $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador; and $32,000 for an LGBTQ comic book in Peru.”
Adams said, “While Elon Musk claimed he would cut $1 trillion from the federal government, the recissions package amounts to less than 1% of that. Meanwhile, House Republicans voted just last month to balloon the national debt by $3 trillion in their One Big Ugly Bill. It’s fiscal malpractice, not fiscal responsibility.”
House Resolution 1 passed 215-214 and House Resolution 4 went forward 214-212. Republican Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky were against the One Big Beautiful Bill and Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Michael Turner of Ohio were against the Rescissions Act.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward report on the partisan positions and voting outcomes related to two specific bills, highlighting the contrasting views of Republicans and Democrats without using loaded or emotionally charged language. It neutrally conveys the Republicans’ framing of the bills as efforts to cut waste and reduce spending, alongside Democrats’ critique of those cuts as harmful and insufficient fiscal discipline. By providing direct quotes from representatives of both parties and clearly stating voting results, the content maintains factual reporting without promoting a particular ideological stance. The balanced presentation of arguments and absence of editorializing indicate a commitment to neutrality rather than an intentional partisan perspective.
