SHELBY, N.C. — The Carolinas saw its first significant rainfall in months on Tuesday and Wednesday, after a lack of showers put much of the area under a moderate to extreme drought.
Amid these conditions, local farmers have been finding ways to help their seasonal crops survive, including using irrigation systems to keep water flowing to the soil.
"Really dry conditions like this, you have to work it double time and that puts a strain on the system," Wisdom Jzar with Deep Roots CPS Farm in North Charlotte said, "Lack of water just slowed down the growth of the product. So, we've not had as much as we would have liked.”
Members of the western North Carolina-based nonprofit Utopian Seed Project are hoping to find a more long-term solution, experimenting with crops they hope will withstand the changing weather.
"So, we don't run the irrigation purposefully to put these plants to the test," Jamie Swofford, who's on the project's board, said. "Climate-resilient varieties are just powering through whatever the weather is, whatever the situation is."
He and his wife own Old North Farm in Shelby, working to create a stronger, more resilient seed stock.
"This summer we grew five varieties of okra and four varieties of southern peas," Swofford said. "We select our seed from the strongest plants and then we'll save those seeds and grow those out again next year and spread those among different farms in different locations and compare data season over season."
Jzar said his farm has used some seeds sourced by the Utopian Seed Project.
Still, they're happy to see some rain return to the forecast.
"We definitely need it. So, we're hoping it keeps coming," Jzar said.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.