NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – 2024 marked a tough year for Tennessee farmers following drought, inflation and even a hurricane. A new state report warns that 2025 could be just as challenging.
From Mother Nature to the economy and politics, many Tennessee farmers are hoping to put 2024 in the rearview mirror for greener pastures.
“Our farmers have suffered; there’s lots of challenges,” said Lee Maddox, spokesperson for Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.
AUG. 2024 | ‘It’s pretty much a disaster’: Middle TN farmers devastated by drought, intense heat
Maddox said spring flooding early in the season forced some farmers to replant. Then, hurricane Helene hit farmers in northeast Tennessee.
“ Tomato farms, sod farms just completely wiped out, devastated, so quite an impact from the weather in 2024 to our Tennessee farmers,” explained Maddox.
As the hot, dry summer months stretched on, drought worsened across the state. In fact, many farmers didn’t receive the plentiful fall harvest they were banking on.