While many Texomans are rejoicing for the rain, many farmers are considering their options after storms damaged or destroyed many crops.

Hardeman County farmers were especially hard hit just before harvest of wheat and canola seed crops.

Thunderstorms last week were an answer to a prayer for many residents, ringing in rain to some drought stricken areas.

For many wheat farmers in Hardemen County, the damages left by the storm will end their harvest year before it even gets started.

"I estimate around ten-thousand acres of destroyed crops in the county," Steven Sparkman, Agrilife Ext. Agent said.

That's 10,000 acres of wheat as well as canola crops wasted, and the damages to the farmer's pocket are even more devastating.

"I estimate a minimum loss of one-and-a-half million-dollars for our producers and it could be as high as three-million," Sparkman said.

Area farmers whose crops were destroyed will likely lose out for the year.

"Anytime you have an annual crop, you pretty well have one payday and when that payday is pulled out from under you with a little less than 30 days to harvest it's going to be detrimental to their financial situation," Sparkman said.

Sparkmans says, eventually this all will trickle down to hurting the county's economic growth.

"Initially it will affect the grain elevators and the harvest crews that come in to harvest the crop and the actual farmer. But it will also fuel fertilizer dealers, agri-business', hired hands hired seasonally for harvest. It will affect a lot of the county," Sparkman said.

But amidst the disaster, Sparkmans says these farmers know sometimes you just have to push through

"Our guys are resilient. Most of them are second, third, fourth generation farmers. I had an older gentleman tell me the other day, 'If you were going to quit farming when farming got tough, you'd quit one-hundred times a year,' So you just ear back and continue because that's what you do," Sparkman said.

He Says that the conditions for this years cotton are good right now but they'll have to act fast.

He says farmers have about three weeks remaining to get planted, which takes about a week, but with more storms threatening the area, farmers can only hope they get a break in the weather so they can get their seed in.

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