HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
The rain last week came a little too late to pull farmers out of a dismal harvest.
The drought and dry heat continues to wreak havoc on crops, corn and soybeans taking the biggest hit.
"Locally, we've had a pretty bad drought right at the wrong time - mid-June to the first week in July - right when the corn needs the water the most," said Alabama State Climatologist, John Christy.
As the major corn producers in the Midwest suffer from drought, everyone will feel it. It has sent corn prices soaring, up 40 percent in recent weeks.
Christy studies weather patterns and said once every three years or so, a dry spell hits Alabama hard.
Even with the recent rain we've had, Christy said it would have to rain an inch and a half every week for the next six to seven weeks to get a decent harvest.
For the past 10 years, Christy has been working with farmers and lawmakers to promote irrigation, helping farmers move away from being rain dependent.
"Just make your own climate, so if you are able to irrigate, find water to irrigate, put in the infrastructure, then you can really beat Mother Nature," he said.
Governor Robert Bentley signed a bill this year to offer farmers a tax credit who install irrigation systems.
Christy sees it as a way to finally break the cycle of rain controlling the market.
"You create for yourself some insurance, in a sense," said Christy. "You have water that you can control that Mother Nature doesn't. That gives you a real leg up on producing."
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If farmers use irrigation systems, they won't have to depend on rain to quench crops.
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