By Jessie Burchette

jburchette@salisburypost.com

Joe Hampton took a look at his rain gauge Wednesday morning and decided some of his warped neighbors were playing a joke on him.

The gauge had over five inches of rain in it and Hampton hadn't seen more than 3/4 of an inch in the gauge for more than 18 months.

He was sure somebody came by and poured some water in just to play a joke on him.

When he got to the Piedmont Research Station on Sherrills Ford Road, where he is the superintendent, the gauge there held 5.4 inches.

Hampton and farmers across the county are experiencing something almost strange — wet ground, mud even.

The months of dust are over.

The rain will have an immediate impact on pastures and give farmers a bit of a vacation.

"It's too wet to motivate — to get in the fields, it will be several days," Hampton said.

Hampton said the rain will have a big impact on soybeans and pastures, which were about to dry up.

"This is the time of year it starts getting cool at night and the cool season grasses start growing," Hampton said. "Having moisture will be very beneficial."

Hampton noted much of the area is continuing to suffer through the extended drought that hit livestock growers last year.

Without hay and unable to pay the high price for imported feed, many growers sold hundreds of head. The number of cattle in the county has dropped as much as 25 percent, according to state figures.

Hampton said the great thing about the rain for farmers is that it was spread out over two days.

"We've got moisture in the ground. It will help out all the way to small grains," he said. "It came at a very good time."

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