Abundant fall rains mean no irrigation auction in 2003

ATLANTA - State environmental officials, who lifted a severe drought declaration in southeast Georgia after a wet fall, won&#39;t pay farmers not to irrigate their fields, as they have done for the past two years. <br> <br> Harold Reheis, director of Georgia&#39;s Environmental Protection Division, says they have consulted with experts from the U.S. Geological Survey, the state climatologist and the state geologist, and all the trends are in the right direction. <br> <br> He says there will not be a drought auction in 2003, so farmers in the Flint River Basin should plan to proceed with their regular spring planting routines. <br> <br> Starting in 2001, the state set aside ten million dollars from the national tobacco settlement to pay farmers in 42 counties to forgo irrigation in a region that includes cotton farms and the nation&#39;s most fertile peanut fields. <br> <br> Reheis declared a severe drought in the Flint River Basin in 2001 and again for 2002, which allowed him to implement provisions of the Flint River Drought Protection Act, which was written to ensure the river&#39;s health. <br> <br> The provisions included compensation for farmers who volunteered to stop irrigating their fields. <br> <br> Cotton grower Richey Seaton, executive director of the Georgia Cotton Commission, says EPD&#39;s announcement is a positive sign on the heels of a miserable season. <br> <br> Southeastern farmers had extremely dry conditions during the growing season this year and excessive moisture during the harvest season. Both problems cut crop yields and quality substantially.