Today is the first day of fall. With all the hot, humid weather we have been having recently, you would not think that fall was anywhere in sight. But, if you notice, all the signs of an approaching fall are evident. The days are getting much shorter, leaves on the trees have begun to change color, farmers are busy harvesting their crops, and the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair will open next week.

This has been an unusually dry summer. Normally, by this time of the year, we should have received about 35 inches of rainfall. However, so far this year, we have received only about 29 inches. We are more than 6 inches below normal for the year.

Even though it has been a dry year, most areas throughout our county have received occasional showers. Most of these showers occurred during the summer months, right at the peak of the growing season.

These showers provided just enough moisture for corn and cotton to produce yields that will be somewhere near long-term averages. The showers came when corn was producing ears and cotton was producing bolls. During the past six weeks, we have received very little rainfall, which was not too bad for these crops, since they were reaching maturity.

Corn harvest in the county will soon be completed. Reports on yields are extremely varied. Yields in some areas of the county, and in certain fields, are great. Yields in some fields will be so low that most likely the corn will not even be harvested.

If you travel through the western parts of the county, especially on rural roads where most of the cotton is grown, you will probably smell the distinct odor of cotton defoliants. Farmers apply materials to cotton to make the leaves fall off for two reasons. The leaves are removed so the plant will stop growing and the bolls of cotton will open up more quickly. Also, the leaves are removed from the plant, so they will not get mixed with the cotton lint as it is harvested. Cotton with a lot of trash in it is not as valuable to mills that make cotton yarns.

Soybeans, however, are being seriously affected by the lack of rainfall. Soybean plants produce pods, and the seeds within those pods fill out during the late summer. The lack of rainfall during the past six weeks, along with the unusually hot weather, is making it difficult for the soybeans to fill pods properly. In fact, many of the soybean plants in the fields are dying because of lack of moisture. It appears that soybean yields will be much less than average for this year.

If you are a farmer, or have a farm you rent to someone else, please keep in mind that farm crops can be entered in the county fair. There are classes for corn, cotton, soybeans, tobacco, and all other farm crops. In the past, very few people have entered items in these classes. This is hard for me to understand, since we have so many farms in Robeson County and so much of these crops are grown in the county.

Farm and home exhibits are a major component of the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair, just as with all other good county fairs. People take pride in what they grow or produce, and they use the county fair as an opportunity to show off what they have. Exhibits at county fairs provide the opportunity for friendly competition between neighbors and friends. Competing at the county fair is fun, and it is friendly competition, but it is also a learning opportunity. If your item does not receive the blue ribbon, you naturally want to know what you can do better, so hopefully next year, you can win the blue ribbon. You learn more about the crops you are growing, your hobby, or your special skills, and you do a better job in the coming year. If you are a farmer, your profits increase because of what you learn. If you enter your crafts items, you learn how to do an even better job, so the quality of your crafts improve.

The Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair starts next week. All items to be exhibited in the fair must be entered this coming Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. If you do not have a fair handbook with all the rules and details, please call my office at 671-3276 for more information. Items to be exhibited at the county fair must be entered ahead of time, so they can be properly displayed and judged before the fair officially opens. This way, the very first visitors to the county fair will be able to see who won the blue ribbons and will be able to view attractive displays of all kinds of home and farm exhibits.

If you have children or grandchildren you want to take to the county fair or if you are still young at heart and want to enjoy riding the carnival rides, don't forget to buy your advance tickets before the fair opens. Advance tickets are available throughout the region. Advance tickets are an affordable way to attend the fair, ride all the carnival rides as much as you want, and enjoy some of your favorite fair foods.

We all hope it rains, but maybe it will not rain on the day you want to go to the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 9/27/05