ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, Va. - Hurricane Matthew dealt another blow to farmers in Hampton Roads already dealing with a soggy few months.
According to the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Hurricane Matthew caused significant damage to some farms and caused harvest delays in some parts of Virginia.
The National Agricutural Statistics Service Crop report for Virginia on October 11 noted the extreme rain and gusty winds from Matthew resulted in flooding, falling trees, road closures and damage to crops and farms.
According to the VFBF, the week before Hurricane Matthew included harvesting corn, apples and peanuts.
At Sunset View Farm in Isle of Wight County, Farmer Rex Alphin says he lost about a week of time after the storm waiting for fields to dry out.
"We did experience some crop loss in peanuts. Cotton it’s going to hurt the grade quite a bit so it remains to be seen exactly how much damage is going to be done but it’s going to be a challenging harvest season," Alphin told News 3's Todd Corillo Wednesday.
In Virginia Beach, an extension agent noted the heavy rains washed out strawberry plants from their holes and pumpkins washing down the road.
In Surry County, corn still in the field during the hurricane had wind damage.
