The most unforgettable event in the all-too-memorable 2013 tobacco-growing season coincided with the July 4 holiday. Beginning on Independence Day and continuing through July 5-6, torrential rains poured eight to 10 inches of water over many areas in states where tobacco is produced. The rains also affected adjoining areas of Ohio and other neighboring states with tobacco-growing regions. The effect on the tobacco crop for 2013 was catastrophic. One grower in the northern Bluegrass Region of Kentucky described the flooding as "rivers of water so deep that it ran down the rows and still couldn't run off completely." A staggering amount of the crop he was describing simply drowned when the water lingered at the base of the plants. "When it did finally drain, the tobacco was stressed and took black shank," the Kentucky-farmer said.
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