Heavy Marlboro County rain good news for farmers

By: Patricia Burkett | SCNOW
Published: July 07, 2008

Weekend storms brought significant rain and even some flooding to Marlboro County.
In some areas, several inches fell in a short amount of time, causing minor flooding and even a closure between Ebenezer and Old Aaron Temple Church Road
But it wasn't all bad news with the heavy rain, many farmers say it's helped them out significantly.
Rebecca McArthur is one of those farmers. She's been in the agriculture business for about 15 years, and spent the past three opening up a roadside store near Bennettsville.
McArthur says she's learned a lot of things about keeping that store going, and one of the most important aspects is keeping crops watered.
"A few weeks ago when we had the temperatures over 100,105, 110 degrees...that really took a toll on some of our crops, where there were blooms they just wilted and dropped off our bushes," said McArthur.
She says farmers were struggling with pretty significant drought conditions.
That was, until this past weekend.
"The rain that we had yesterday makes you happy, makes your day brighter. The irrigation we have is great, it keeps your crops growing, but it's still not like rain from the Lord, it makes a big difference," said McArthur.
McArthur says she and her fellow farmers received several inches of rain throughout the day Sunday.
Monday morning, there was still plenty of evidence of the more than welcome moisture on the ground.
"You can already see a difference. The bushes where they just looked like they were hanging on, the cantaloupes and the watermelons, they just stand more upright, they just look like they smile as well," said McArthur.
Rebecca McArthur says she'll have a smile on her face as well, as long as the effects of the major rainfall have an impact on her crops.