Proud to be a Farmer: Nellwood Farms

BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - A South Georgia farmer’s crops can go from drought to drowning over and over in the same season.

But one sixth-generation farmer in Bulloch County does his best to take it in stride.

David Cromley didn’t let a day-long rain Sunday keep him from spraying his cotton Monday. He says the weather this season has been on a roller coaster, cool weather in May actually held them up from planning.

“Then it got dry really, really fast. Then we had some windy days and some really hot days,” Cromley said.

When they got behind in planting, David had to “dust in” this crop. That means planting the seed almost on top of the ground then hoping and praying for rain.

Steady rain has helped young cotton plants bounce back and flourish. But now he’s navigating soggy spots, even spraying drier spots first and coming back to these spaces when his tractor and sprayer tank weigh less. But you won’t hear him complaining.

“Old timers always say we’re always just two weeks from a drought. So you take what comes and you roll with it,” Cromley said.

He says he’s thankful they have part of their peanuts and cotton already under a sales contract. The rest they’ll take to market in hopes of an even better price. It’s that optimism that marks farmers like him.

“There aren’t a lot of people who’d pour a lot of money into seed, fertilizer, getting everything ready..not knowing if that investment will turn out at the end of the year,” he said.

The satisfaction of seeing that crop come thru makes him Proud to Be a Farmer.

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