Cotton growers thank Rice for farm disaster aid

The Southern Cotton Growers commend U.S. Rep. Tom Rice and other members of the S.C. Congressional Delegation who supported agriculture disaster relief language contained in the FY16 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

Our organization represents every cotton producer in the six states that comprise the Southeast Region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia). I am a cotton, peanut and corn producer from St. Matthews, and I also currently serve as President of Southern Cotton Growers.

My own personal experience this year is very representative of what many others have endured throughout the state. The vast majority of land I farm is dry land. The first significant rain I received was on July 5. By that time, I had lost my entire corn crop to drought and the cotton and peanuts I had planted weeks earlier had yet to sprout.

Biblical type rains that ravaged the entire state ultimately decimated what little bit of a crop I had intended to harvest.

Farming is a risky business. There have been times when I have lost one crop during a growing season, but this is the first time in my many years of farming that I lost practically everything. Crop insurance will never cover losses of this magnitude. The disaster assistance contained in the Omnibus Bill will no doubt provide much-needed assistance to countless farm families throughout South Carolina.

We greatly appreciate Congressman Rice’s leadership in coming to the aid of our state’s largest industry when in crisis.

The writer is president of Southern Cotton Growers Inc. and lives in St. Matthews.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 7:39 AM with the headline "Cotton growers thank Rice for farm disaster aid."