Rarely does good news follow a hurricane. But, in the instance of Hurricane Ian, Virginia farmers said the storm brought beneficial weather for drought-stressed field crops, hay and pastureland.
Hurricane Ian, the first named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season to impact Virginia, passed through the state Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The storm produced at least 3½ inches of rain in some Virginia localities, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s crop report for the week ending Oct. 2.
The report also revealed that soil moisture levels increased dramatically after Ian’s arrival. During the week ending Sept. 25, there was a 32 percent moisture shortage in Virginia’s topsoil and a 27 percent shortage in subsoil.
During the week ending Oct. 2, the moisture shortage in topsoil dipped to 8 percent, while subsoil lowered to 22 percent. In all, the moisture of Virginia’s topsoil now stands at 91 percent adequate or better, and subsoil is 77 percent adequate or better.
“I h...