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.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-22 16:23:00
(The Center Square) – Increased oversight of making rules in state agencies is expected to be discussed in the North Carolina Senate when lawmakers return from an Easter break.
The NC REINS Act, known also as House Bill 402 and Senate Bill 290, picked up one Democrat’s vote in the House of Representatives’ 68-44 passage. Four Republicans were excused from the vote and all others were in favor.
Rep. Allen Chesser, R-Nash
Michael Lewis via NCLeg.gov
The General Assembly, if the bill becomes law, would have a statutory role in rule approval if the executive branch creates a rule with economic impact of $1 million. In a speech on the House floor, Nash County Republican Rep. Allen Chesser explained few of the more than 110,000 state regulations would hit the threshold.
The proposal, he said, is meant for accountability.
“The NC REINS Act is about giving the people of North Carolina a stronger voice in the rules that shape their lives,” Chesser said at an introductory news conference last month. “Right now, unelected bureaucrats can impose regulations with major financial consequences without direct oversight from the General Assembly. The current process is not transparent. We can do better.”
Similar legislation is pending in at least a dozen states, including Georgia and South Carolina, said Jaimie Cavanaugh, legal policy counsel at Pacific Legal Foundation. Wyoming passed a bill this year, she said.
Some legislative critics of the proposal have said that the proposal could be dangerous because it would create an extra layer of approval for regulations aimed at protecting public health. The only Democrat in favor was Cumberland County’s Charles Smith.
No sessions of the Legislature are scheduled this week. The General Assembly convenes Monday of next week, with most action unlikely to happen before Tuesday. Crossover day is May 8.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit clarified that only refugees conditionally approved and with arranged travel before January 20, 2025, are allowed entry under a March order partially blocking the Trump administration’s suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The court denied the administration’s appeal to halt a preliminary injunction from a lower court that mandated the processing of these refugees. This decision highlights the ongoing legal battle between the government and refugee advocacy groups, with advocates emphasizing the need for immediate action to allow affected refugees, such as a family in Kenya, to enter the U.S.
SUMMARY: The documentary “Crossing Borders: Immigration and Division in North Carolina,” airing Wednesday, explores the complex impact of immigration on local communities. Reporter Kristen Se highlights emotional stories, such as Yolanda Zavala’s, who became a legal resident after immigrating from Mexico but faced challenges when her son was deported. The film also addresses the broader implications of federal policies and proposed state legislation, including collaboration between state law enforcement and ICE. With diverse perspectives, the documentary aims to showcase the emotional weight and divisive nature of immigration in North Carolina. It premieres at 7:30 PM on WL and online.
Immigration is one of the most divisive and deeply personal issues facing North Carolina today. A new WRAL Documentary, Crossing Borders: Immigration and Division in North Carolina, takes viewers inside the debate from emotional family separations to high profile crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.
Crossing Borders was produced by WRAL investigative documentary reporter Cristin Severance and WRAL documentary photographer and editor Dwayne Myers after seeing immigration stories in the headlines every week since President Trump took office in January.
WRAL is your Raleigh, North Carolina news source. Check out our videos for the latest news in Raleigh, local sports, Raleigh weather, and more at https://WRAL.com
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