BY HATTIE FRANCIS/TIDEWATER NEWS
Hattiefrancis@gmail.com

COURTLAND—The National Weather Service in Wakefield reported that Southampton County received from one-half inch to 2 inches of rain on Saturday and Sunday.

“You don’t turn down any rain this time of the year, that’s for sure,” said Southampton County Farm Bureau President Gary Cross. “It did freshen everything up. Of course cotton and peanuts don’t require much rain this time of the year. They are putting down a good root, but it makes it easier for them to move along a little bit.”

Last week, local farmers expressed concerns for their soybean crop with six days of record-breaking near 100-degree temperatures over 11 days in late May through early June coupled with little rain to continue planting.

“The (weekend’s) rain, for the most part, really helped the corn crop and get some bean planting done,” Cross said. “It was so dry that a lot of people stopped planting beans waiting for some moisture.”

“Any rain this time of year helps everything,” said Jason Drake of Drake Farms in Newsoms. “But the corn isn’t over yet, and it still needs rain up until it puts an ear on.”

According to Cross, the break in high temperatures was equally beneficial as receiving rain.

“It was just making everything suffer and dry up,” he said.