Jerry Robinson gazed out at his strawberry field in Whiteville as workers searched for fruit ready for picking.
Hundreds of white blooms dotted the long rows of strawberry plants, thanks to much-needed rainfall that recently softened the parched earth. Robinson said the small flowers are a good sign for the remaining strawberry season—he’s confident he can sell the crop at his produce stand next month.
But the harsh winter and ongoing drought have taken a toll on Robinson Produce Farms, which grows seasonal crops and flowers across 150 acres in Columbus County. The business is weeks behind in strawberry production compared with this time last year.
“You can’t go back and make up those few weeks that you lost on sales,” Robinson, a 62-year-old third-generation farmer, said of the delayed crop.
Most of North Carolina was in an extreme drought as of May 5, according to the state Drought Management Advisory Council. The state has a rain deficit of 12 to 20 inches, which has been building since last August, said Assistant State Climatologist and advisory council member Corey Davis.
The drought conditions are the worst the state has seen since 2007, Davis said. By the end of that year, more than 5 million North Carolinians had been asked to restrict water usage, and the state’s agriculture industry saw $537 million in damages, according to the N.C. State Climate Office.
Recent rain showers have helped during the current drought, although water restrictions are in place for several cities, including Raleigh and Charlotte. Farmers, meanwhile, could experience the drought’s impacts for months. The U.S. Department of Agriculture designated 82 of North Carolina’s 100 counties as natural disaster areas because of drought conditions, Gov. Josh Stein announced last month.
Robinson said the ground was just wet enough to plant corn, zucchini, and squash a month later than usual.
Drought isn’t the only obstacle for North Carolina farmers. They are also dealing with increased costs for fuel and fertilizer, spurred by the United States’ war with Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Middle Eastern waterway is a major global trade route for fuels like oil and natural gas.
The cost of diesel used to power tractors and farm equipment shot up to an average of $5.81 per gallon in April, according to AAA. It was the state’s highest average ever recorded by the auto association, and an increase of $2.43 a gallon from 12 months earlier.
As of May 13, the average price of diesel in North Carolina was $5.43 per gallon.
Between February and March, the price of fertilizer increased dramatically in the Southeast, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The cost of a ton of urea ammonium nitrate fertilizer, a liquid that can be combined with other materials like pesticides, increased by 24%. The price of a ton of urea fertilizer, a solid fertilizer commonly used on corn, wheat, rice, and cotton fields, increased by 41%.
“We’re just trying to do the best we can with what we’ve got in a time like this and keep on going in hopes that things will get better,” Robinson said. “That’s the old saying in farming: Next year will be better.”
Hoping for Rain
Scott Shelton is also trying to keep going.
When Shelton opened Heal the Land Farm in the Bladen County town of Tar Heel in 2023, he wanted it to be “bomb proof”—capable of surviving any hardship.
The 46-year-old retired Special Forces soldier said he chose to raise grass-fed longhorn cattle because they thrive even when the foliage they eat is less than ideal. They will consume anything from grass to briars.
At this point in May, the grass on the 65 acres of land used for grazing should be thick and at least ankle high, Shelton said. But it’s short and brittle; walking across the fields sounds like stepping on dried leaves.
“If the rain doesn’t start falling and we start growing grass, I think, inevitably, I’ll have to offload some cows to be able to keep the ones that I might need healthy,” Shelton said.
It’s a painful thought for Shelton, who described the herd as part of his family. He can identify them by name from acres away. Fiesta, a white and tan cow that had wild tendencies as a calf. Milkyway, a black and white cow that has beef with the farm’s resident turkey, Tom. Carne Asada. Chick-fil-A. Nancy. Quinceañera.
Shelton said his troubles began over the winter, which brought snow and ice to southeastern North Carolina. He used his more than 200-bale stockpile of hay to keep the cows fed.
Robinson also said the harsh winter contributed to his strawberries’ lackluster performance.
While the region saw bitterly cold temperatures, Davis said the winter precipitation didn’t do much to improve the soil’s moisture level.
This spring has been among the hottest and driest recorded in state history. North Carolina averaged less than an inch and a half of rain in April, according to the state climate office. The state typically sees almost 4 inches, based on averages from 1991 to 2020.
More than 2 inches of rain have fallen in some parts of the state so far in May, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center. Others have seen less than half an inch. The National Weather Service predicts the state won’t see more than a 10th of an inch in the coming days, and Davis said the rest of the month “feels like a toss-up.”
Rainfall in the weeks and months ahead is crucial to easing the drought, Davis said, particularly in the western and central regions of the state that are experiencing the driest conditions. A wetter-than-average June “would go a long way in stopping the bleeding of this drought,” he said.
Farmers in Western North Carolina are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which caused $5 billion in agricultural losses, N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler told the state House Agriculture and Environment Committee on May 6.
“Farmers are price takers, not price makers.“
Shawn Harding, president of the North Carolina Farm Bureau
Currently, the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook predicts conditions will persist through the end of July in North Carolina. Davis said there is a chance that weaker storms along the state’s coastline could bring enough rain this summer to keep the drought from worsening.
Forecasters at Colorado State University’s Department of Atmospheric Science predict a below-average hurricane season this year.
Declining Income
Most southern farmers polled by the American Farm Bureau Association in April said they’re unable to afford all the fertilizer they need for the rest of 2026. Shawn Harding, president of the North Carolina Farm Bureau, said most of the state’s corporate farmers can’t add a surcharge to their products to offset rising costs. The prices of goods like soybeans, cotton, and corn are determined by the global market they are traded on, he said.
“Farmers are price takers, not price makers,” Harding said.
What Harding calls “retail farms” like Robinson’s can increase prices to offset some of the costs but are still limited by competition with grocery store prices.
Robinson said he hasn’t increased his prices to keep up with rising costs because he knows his customers are also hurting financially. He charges $6 for a quart of strawberries, $13 for two quarts, and $22 for a gallon. But he’s making less money now.
Net farm income across the country is expected to decline by $4.1 billion this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“It’s hard to withstand everything that we have to face,” Robinson said. “We’re just hanging in there the best we can at the moment.”
“That’s the old saying in farming: Next year will be better.“
Jerry Robinson, Columbus County farmer
Davis said he knows it’s tough for farmers right now, and harsh conditions are likely to continue through the summer.
“But we do like the chances of at least seeing some improvements by the end of this year and into next winter, if we’re still seeing drought stick around by then,” he said.
Holding On for Fall
Robinson said he took over the family farm full-time three decades ago. Before then, he was farming part-time while working in a pharmaceutical plant on the border of New Hanover and Pender counties.
“Out of my family of four, I was the only one who had an interest in doing it,” Robinson said. “I just love to watch things grow.”
Under Robinson’s leadership, the farm went from selling produce from a pop-up tent to a large barn. Besides produce and flowers, the stand sells baked goods, jams, honey, and ice cream.
But Robinson said farming is “not as fun as it used to be” because of extreme weather and rising costs to do business.
Shelton didn’t grow up farming. Seeing empty grocery store shelves during the COVID-19 pandemic spurred him to start raising his own meat for his wife and four kids. Now, the 21-year Army veteran said caring for the cattle, chickens, and other animals on the farm is his therapy.
“I don’t want to quit on them,” Shelton said. “It’s medicine for my soul.”
If enough grass doesn’t grow on his fields, and enough cattle farmers are in the same situation, Shelton said the cost of hay could go up due to low supply and high demand.
Hay and diesel are the main expenses for Heal the Land Farm, Shelton said. He said he put $150 of fuel in his truck recently, which didn’t even fill the tank. Other equipment, including all that’s needed to butcher and process the cattle, also requires fuel.
Shelton said he won’t know until later this year how badly the drought impacted him. He’s only in his fourth year of farming and said he’s never experienced conditions like these. He’s trying to hold on until fall.
“If there’s going to be a problem,” Shelton said, “that’s when we’ll start to feel it.”