US: Timing is not good for farmers with Hurricane Francine

Hurricane Francine is projected to make landfall sometime Wednesday (Sept. 11) in Texas and Louisiana before it barrels north into Arkansas. The National Weather Service is projecting the storm will bring high winds and heavy rains to many parts of the Natural State and it might have a devastating impact on farmers who are in the midst of harvest. “We never want to gripe about rain, but this timing couldn’t be worse,” said Zachary Treadway, extension cotton and peanut agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “We’ve got guys trying to get rice out, guys trying to get beans out, we’re trying to get cotton defoliated. It’s definitely not a good time for a tropical storm.” The storm was expected to weaken into a tropical depression by the time it reaches Arkansas on Thursday. Tuesday’s forecast cone covered the eastern half of Arkansas. “The system is expected to continue towards the state bringing the chance for heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and ...