It's been an active couple of weather weeks here in the Big Country with rain, hail and even tornadoes. Some of those who have suffered from the damage are local farmers.

"The rain has been great! It's benefited everybody," states Gage Thomas, a Jones County Farmer.

However, it's not the rain that local farmers are complaining about, it's the hail.

"I've been a lot more fortunate than some people. I have had some hail damage. My uncles wheat farm had lots of hail and it just destroyed it completely," says Thomas.

Even though this season's wheat crop might be the best farmers have seen in years, the hail has posed a problem.

"A lot of other people around this area had the same thing happen. They had a good looking crop and just had it demolished," explains Thomas.

Thankfully most farmers like Thomas came prepared by buying insurance earlier in the year.

"The insurance we buy does give us a peace of mind. It makes you feel a little bit better and it can save you from going broke."

Despite the hail damage, farmers are happy for the moisture and expect a successful crop just in time for the harvest.

"To be a farmer you also have to be an optimist. You got to be optimistic about it. You know that you're taking a chance whenever you plant the crop and put the hard work and money into it. And this is just one more thing that you've got to deal with but we're thankful for that rain that's come with it," says Thomas.

According to Thomas, the price of the wheat crop will not be affected in a negative way when it is harvested this year.

Source - http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/