I have seen more and more signs and flyers around requesting water conservation year round. The drought situation in Georgia is a rather permanent one and water conservation year round could keep us from having a serious water problem like we've had this season.
Mostly I've thought about the drought in the sense of there not being enough water for certain industries to function. But there are so many things that it has affected that I have not even considered. Many horse owners have been forced to sell their horses because of the drought. No rain means no grass and no hay. The owners who haven't sold are paying much more for hay, $80 for a large round bale instead of $30.
Clearly, there are many negative effects of the drought as we've seen, especially on agriculture, but oddly enough, there have also been some positive ones. The drought has stressed Georgia pecan trees, but actually helped them to avoid disease and insect damage. Georgia's pecan crop this year is at the top in the US and the world. Georgia will produce three more times the amount of pecans this year than last year resulting in 120 million pounds.
Who would have thought that a drought could help something grow?
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That's interesting about the Pecan trees. My son and I were at the GA Pecan company behind the Classic Center just yesterday and overheard some people chatting about this years pecan crop and what effect the drought has had on it.
I've heard botanists say that trees overproduce fruits or nuts during drought in a frantic effort to reproduce themselves, having no way to predict how long stressful conditions will last.
On my property, two wild persimmon trees produced super heavy crops of fruit this year. The raccoons are probably happy and who knows? These trees might have ensured the survival of their kind.
I've also found out that pecan trees are used to make vigras
I've also found out that pecan trees are used to make vigras
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