May 11, 1998 transcript #: 233-1 
Subject(s): rain, farming 
Title: ACRES OF PRAYERS, PART I

Hi, I’m Dave Thurlow from the Mount Washington Observatory and this is The Weather Notebook.  A sense of community is strong in any farming country, where weather plays a vital role in sustaining a town’s livelihood.  Today, we hear about the hopes of cotton growers in Georgia from Weather Notebook commentator David Clark. 

"Greetings from Cochran, GA. Cochran is located in Bleckley County, Georgia, which is about 40 miles southeast of the center of the state.  The county's population is a little over 10,000.  One morning in early April, I asked one of the county's 200 farmers what the weather would be like in May.  'Well, I don't know.   But I know what we need - 60's at night, 80's during the day; and a good, slow inch and half of rain once a week.  If I can get that, I'll come out all right.  If I don't, then it's like having a child who's born sick.  There's so many things going against 'em to where there's almost now way for 'em to grow up right after it starts getting hot in June.'  In 1997, some 30% of the cotton yield never made it out of the field, because the cool, wet spring kept the crop from growing off before the fall rains came.  That 30% of fiber rotting on the ground was connected to virtually every person in this county.  I am writing this May broadcast in early April.  The sun is just coming up after a cool night of slow rain.  The farmers are already checking their rain gauge and walking in the field.  The rest of the county looks on, as their kinfolk’s and friends who work the land lead them in prayers for acres of healthy children." 

You can order David Clark's CD of tales and stories entitled "Kindly Curious" at our website, www.mountashington.org/notebook.  Our show is underwritten by Subaru, the beauty of all wheel drive, with major funding provided by the National Science Foundation.