BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WHNT ) — With bone-chilling temperatures heading to Alabama , farmers are stopping at nothing to protect their most valuable commodities. Experts in agriculture discussed how they are handling the weather this week.
“There’s so much artic air up there,” said Shep Morris, a Macon County farmer. “Let’s go ahead and get it on down here and get it over with.”
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Morris farms sesame, cotton and corn. Right now, he’s only growing cover crops, like rye, to protect the soil in the offseason. Morris said, however, to bring on the cold weather.
“We’re just making sure all equipment has got antifreeze in it and faucets are dripping and water is cut off in the drain,” Morris said. “Won’t have any surprises when it thaws out.”
Rick Pate, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, said livestock can burn a lot of energy in the cold.
“It’s not just a matter of feeding them more hay,” Pate said. “They need some higher energy type things, pellets or different things to sustain them. I don’t mean it will kill them, but if it sets them back, and they get other kind of respiratory problems because of the cold.”