Speaking of whacky weather, apples are coming in early and there are shortages in a few apple producing states. According to the Department of Agriculture, the apple bounty will be the smallest since 1986.
What happened in 1986? The first 7 months of '86 went down on record as the worst growing season, due to extreme drought. The Southern states were hit especially hard by drought.
I remember working for a newspaper, and having to head out to a cattle farm to photograph loads of hay being trucked in from the North. Many farmers donated hay and in some cases, truckers delivered it for free. I do remember there was a shortage of trucks as the hay to be donated piled up, but in the end the farmers pulled together and the hay was distributed.
If I recall, there was a Northern drought in 1988. Who came to the rescue? Southern farmers paid back their debt by sending hay to the North.
