Agricultural officials have encouraging news

Agricultural officials brought encouraging news last week to the South Carolina Drought Response Committee.  There’s the potential for several crops to produce the highest yields in several years.  The committee on Friday removed the drought declaration for Aiken, Cherokee, Greenville, Spartanburg and York counties.  Spotty rainfall, however, has not been enough to eliminate the drought statewide.  The following counties in the Upstate and Central Savannah region remain in drought:  Abbeville, Barnwell, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Saluda and Union.  Two counties, Oconee and Anderson, were upgraded to incipient drought, which is the first stage.  “While the more mountainous sections of Oconee County have received rainfall, the storm track seems to bypass the southern portions of the county,” said Doug Young, president of the Lake Hartwell Association.  “The soil moisture in southern Oconee is quite low below 2 or 3 inches from the surface.”