Flooding causing problems for Southside farmers

Farmers in southern Halifax County hit hardest

HALIFAX COUNTY, Va. – The flooding in Southside is impacting farmers.

In Halifax County, many fields, especially in the southern part of the county, had saturated soil Thursday, meaning farmers had to delay planting.

Tobacco planting typically starts in either the last week of April or the first week of May.

In Pittsylvania County, planting was delayed but the extension office said, weather permitting, farmers should be able to make up the lost time.

Farmers who had already planted some crops, like corn and other vegetables, were potentially most at risk.

"This high moisture can create that susceptibility to disease and problems that we might see a little bit later. Depending on how long the flood lasts, we don't know for sure," Halifax County extension agent Rebekah Slaybach explained.

"Soy beans, that's going to be late getting into the ground, waiting for that moisture retained."

She says the southern part of the county was seeing the biggest impact because the soil there is so compacted, which causes it to retain water.