Scattered showers bring little relief to farmers - WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

Scattered showers have allowed parts of the Tennessee Valley to get some much needed rain the past few days, but will the random wet help the farmers who've seen a very dry season?

Half grown kernels of corn, cotton and soy beans that won't grow are a sight no farmer wants to see.  

"Up until this heat about three weeks ago we had the most beautiful, most uniform corn crop we've ever seen," said Wilson Mann. 

He's been farming for more than 30 years.  He said the recent drought hit his Owens Cross Roads crops hard, but they saw some relief in the form of rain Wednesday night. 

"It gave everything a little life," Mann said.  "It perked it up a little bit for a day or two.  The cotton grew off, the soy beans perked up.  The corn needs rain like that every week," Mann said.

He said he needs more than an occasional sprinkle to sprout his crops.   

"The crops aren't far enough along to handle the heat," he said.  "It's hitting us right at pollination and grain field, and it's just devastating to the crops. Corn potential has gone maybe 50 or 60 percent.  If it continues, we'll only have 50 percent crops of what's normal." 

Mann said in order for him and other farmers in his situation to be able to have crops to sell come fall, they need rain every week.

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