THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603160113
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Chesapeake Business Review
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Chesapeake farmers were put to the test last year as low moisture and high heat destroyed many acres of stock crops such as soybeans and corn.
``We just didn't get the rain we needed in July and August,'' said Richard Rhodes, director of the Chesapeake Extension Service and Agriculture Department. ``It generally takes an inch of water every week to keep the crops healthy, and we didn't get that.''
The unpredictable weather especially hurt area corn crops. According to Rhodes, corn yields varied from about 140 bushels an acre to less than 100.
In 1995, Chesapeake farmers dedicated 28,000 acres to soybeans, 14,000 acres to wheat and about 12,000 acres to corn.
Agriculture brought $32 million in income to the city last year. Fifteen million dollars of that came from field crops such as soybeans, corn and wheat for feed. Another $12 million came from horticulture crops like fruits, vegetables and nursery stock. Livestock, including hogs, cattle, sheep, chickens, horses and bees, earned another $5 million.
Traditionally, the city ranks second in the state in soybean production, seventh in corn production and fifth in wheat. By comparison, Virginia Beach is 14th in corn production for the state, eighth in soybeans and sixth in wheat.
Last year, three Chesapeake farmers re-introduced a crop that hasn't been grown in the city for over 35 years - cotton.
Rhodes said the farmers were inspired to re-introduce cotton by high prices the crop was fetching on the international market.
``They also were interested in finding a crop that handles high heat and low moisture,'' said Rhodes.
Cotton's popularity as a cash crop plummeted in the 1960s and '70s because of rising production costs and the proliferation of the boll weevil, a pest that destroys cotton bolls.
Nearly 360 acres were dedicated to cotton last year and Rhodes expects a similar yield in this year.
Other crops produced in Chesapeake last year included peanuts and potatoes.
With three dairies in Great Bridge - Bergey's Dairy, Wenger's Dairy and Lehman's Dairy - Chesapeake is the largest dairy area east of Richmond. There are at least a dozen nurseries and greenhouses here, making those businesses a sizeable portion of the farming income.
Although the agriculture outlook for 1996 is partly dependent on fluctuating prices and unpredictable weather, Rhodes said area farmers this year might fetch high prices for their crops.
``Corn, wheat and soybeans prices nationally are as good as they've been in the last 15 years,'' he said.
As the city grows, Rhodes said, area farmers will continue to face problems associated with a growing population, namely more traffic on country roads traditionally used to move farm machinery and loss of farmland to commercial and residential developments.
One way in which the city has managed to maintain its agricultural identity, despite rapid growth, is through the concept of roadside markets and pick-your-own produce farms.
``They tend to require smaller lots of land and don't put pressure on the farmer to transport his crop. That helps to reduce costs for the farmer and residents get to experience agriculture at the local level,'' Rhodes said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MORT FRYMAN
A farmer tills a field in the shadow of new home construction at
Oakbrooke Meadows off Kempsville Road.
Chart
Building permits
by CNB