Watauga legislators join drought task force
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

Watauga County’s General Assembly representatives are part of a committee studying the state’s agricultural response to the drought.

Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney announced the formation and appointment of a Joint Select Committee on the Agricultural Drought Response, which took effect on Nov. 26.

Sen. Steve Goss (D-45) of Boone is one of the co-chairs of the committee, and he said he’d initially discussed drought concerns with Basnight about a month ago.

“This is the worst drought in North Carolina history that we know of,” Goss said.

“It’s of serious proportions. I talked to Sen. Basnight at length about the impact of the drought on this area, especially in agriculture.”

The committee will meet over the winter and is expected to deliver a written report and make recommendations to the General Assembly on May 1. Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-93) is also on the committee, marking the first time the two will serve on a statewide committee.

The committee will study the impacts of the current drought on agriculture, including anticipated effects if the drought continues.

Members will also evaluate the response of farmers, agricultural organizations, local governments, state agencies, and other entities in light of a continued drought.

In addition, the committee is charged with identifying any deficiencies in the drought response and may recommend any changes in policy to address the current or future droughts. It will consider whether and to what extent the state and its agencies should assume responsibility for addressing drought impacts.

“Obviously, we can’t control the weather,” Goss said.

“This isn’t just about farmers. It affects all of us in the end. We’ll see what the state can do to aid farmers and the communities at large, and what will happen if this becomes long-term.”

Goss said the inclusion of Tarleton and other mountain representatives shows how broad the issue is and how widely it affects the state.

Goss said hay crop was the most dramatic immediate evidence of the drought’s effects, saying farmers who normally got three cuttings of hay from their pastures were getting less than half of that this year.

Poultry farmers in Wilkes and Alexander counties have lost water sources and are having to truck water to their chicken houses. Dairy farmers and cattle producers are suffering from less bountiful pasturage and high hay prices.

Christmas trees, the most important regional agricultural crop, had weathered the dry conditions this year, though many new seedlings were reported dead or damaged.

Goss said that was just one indication that the effects of the drought might still show up years ahead.

“A lot of people may have forgotten this also came after the Easter freeze,” he said, noting the blossom-killing frost that wiped out most fruit crops and spawned a federal disaster declaration.

Basnight said in a statement, “This drought is the worst in our state’s history and we must take a look at the response to it. Water conservation is key and I am pleased that citizens and industry are doing their part. This Joint Committee will help us insure that we are doing all we can to protect our state’s agriculture during this drought and any future drought we might face.”

Goss added that recent rains had done little to dampen the drought’s effects.

“This is the second drought in the last several years, and it’s not going away,” he said.

A broader issue is the effect of the drought on municipal and public water supplies and the interbasin transfer of water to metropolitan areas. “If this continues, we need to look at state policies for long-term water solutions,” Goss said.