Ag News
Extreme drought conditions persist over much of Georgia
Posted on Apr 08, 2026 at 15:16 PM
While some parts of Georgia got rain over Easter weekend, according to UGA Extension Climatologist Pam Knox, any relief it provided will be short-lived.
“The wettest area will be in eastern Florida where there is the potential for low pressure to develop off the East Coast and draw some moisture into the Florida Peninsula,” Knox wrote in her Climate and Agriculture in the Southeast blog post from April 5. “Most of the rest of the region will be under high pressure and is not expected to get much if any rain. If you look at the longer-range models out to 384 hours (April 21), all of the models show the same general pattern with slight variations about where the driest conditions will be.”
The U.S. Drought Monitor’s (USDM) April 2 drought map showed all of Georgia in some stage of drought starting with abnormally dry, the USDM’s label for the least severe drought stage. Most of the state is experiencing much more severe dry conditions. Twenty-five counties in South Georgia are in Exceptional Drought, the most severe drought stage. Another 86 counties, covering the entire Coastal Plain and much of the North Georgia mountains, are in Extreme Drought, the second-most severe stage. A time-series graphic provided by the USDM shows how current drought conditions are shaping up against previous years since 2000. Once on the landing page change the Area Type tab from national to state and then select Georgia in the next tab labeled Area.
The dry conditions are already having effects on Georgia farms.
“Since August, we probably haven't had over four inches of rain. The last significant rain we had was about a month ago, just out of the blue. We got an inch and six tenths, but it didn't even register. It didn't last,” said Daniel Johnson, a Pierce County row crop farmer in deep Southeast Georgia. “Right now, we're having to irrigate ahead of planting corn and behind planting corn.”
Johnson says he’s having to irrigate at least a half inch of water to plant his corn crop and at least a half an inch after planting to get the seed to germinate and come up. He’s relying on deep wells to irrigate his crop.
In Screven County, located in upper Southeast Georgia on the South Carolina line, Ben Boyd said his dad, Olin, says the farm is as dry as he’s ever seen it this time of year.
“We had about a half inch, probably four weeks ago, but we hadn't had any significant rain since probably last October. I bet you, we hadn't had two inches of rain since last October,” Boyd said.
“We never have to replant corn because it’s too dry and won’t come up, but we’re going to have to replant a pretty good bit of corn if nothing changes.”
Boyd said they’re having to irrigate four or five days ahead of planting corn to even get a plow in the ground. To add insult to injury, he said corn seed is in short supply.
In Southwest Georgia, Julie Hardy says her family farms across Thomas, Grady and Mitchell counties.
“Our farm in Mitchell County got some rain last week, so we’re planting soybeans there because the ground is too hard in Thomas and Grady counties. Luckily we’re done planting our corn,” Hardy said. “It worries me because it’s very expensive to run those pivots whether they run on diesel or electricity.”
UGA Extension Forage Specialist Lisa Baxter told Georgia Farm Bureau media that the state’s hay stocks are already threatened. Many producers are already contending with dwindling hay supplies, limited winter grazing and ongoing dry conditions.
“The 2025 growing season, I have dubbed the ‘year that no grass was happy in the state of Georgia,’” Baxter told the Farm Monitor. She noted that some areas of South Georgia last got significant rain in early August 2025. “With so much of the state being in moderate to severe drought it’s really setting us up for a challenging start to the 2026 season.”
Heard County farmer Ralph Caldwell is one of Georgia’s cattle and hay producers already looking at ways to make it through this summer if the drought persists.
“I carried over less than 20 bales of hay from last year, and I feed 1,000 bales of hay a year. We had to start feeding earlier because it was a cold winter and the cows ate more hay,” Caldwell said. “Since I’m not carrying hay over from last year, I’m actually contemplating putting part of my cropland in some type of summer grass for insurance because of the hay situation.”
Caldwell, who usually grows hay, corn and soybeans along with raising cattle and having 20 poultry houses, says his area is experiencing moderate drought conditions right now. He received roughly three-tenths of an inch April 4 after not getting any rain for about three weeks.
“Following this El Nino pattern, from what I understand, we’re forecast to have a drier summer, so it has me very nervous,” Caldwell said. “As of right now, I’m thinking about not planting corn because we’ve got such high input costs, and if it’s a drought year, corn definitely will not pencil out whatsoever. I’m still considering planting soybeans just because it’s going to be cheaper to grow.”
May 15 is the latest Caldwell said he can plant corn and make a crop.
Every farmer GFB media talked to at the roundtable asked that people start praying for rain.
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