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Vilsack says Hurricane Irene devastated fields

The impact of Hurricane Irene on East Coast agriculture has been witnessed by Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack who tells Brownfield he saw a lot of devastated farm fields. “A corn crop that was probably on its way to being a bumper crop in North Carolina totally destroyed,” says Vilsack, “A cotton crop that was in the process of being a very, very, good, solid crop was on the ground – soybeans that could potentially have been compromised – tobacco farms that were devastated.”

And, in Virginia, Vilsack says, “We obviously are aware of the fact that their tomato crop is also impacted and we’re waiting to see what the impact will be on some of the crops on the ground, like sweet potatoes.”

And, there was damage further up the coast. Vilsack says,“Our heart goes out to the farm families who are struggling with the flood conditions, not only in those states, but also along the East Coast and in New York.”

Damage estimates are still going on from last weekend’s hurricane. No dollar estimates have been made yet.

Brownfield’s Tom Steever interviewed Secretary Vilsack

AUDIO: Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack (1:00 mp3)