May rainfall tops 7 inches
BY LELAND ACKER

Storms ripped through East Texas Sunday, downing trees, ruining cemetery homecoming events and forcing the cancellation of Sunday runs of the Texas State Railroad. The storms brought rain, which is fueling discussion about how much is too much.

The cancellation of the Sunday train runs was due in part to the destruction of the movie set for "The Great Debaters." High winds pushed the makeshift depot off the platform and onto the tracks. Other debris such as fallen limbs had to be removed as well.

Other than the effect the storm had on the train, no major damage was reported.

"Our guys stayed busy," said Larry Krantz, public information officer for the Texas Department of Transportation. "No major incidents happened to my knowledge. Nothing stayed closed too long."

As for the rainfall, Cherokee County Extension Agent Jack White said everything is looking good.

"We have a good chance of getting the hay supply we need by the end of June," Mr. White said. "Frequent rains make it difficult to cut hay, but cooler nights help maintain the quality longer. The cool nights keep the protein levels up."

Mr. White addressed concerns that the rain would affect hay that has been cut.

"If hay gets rained on, that's not necessarily bad. If it gets rained on daily, it takes a while to dry out and that causes problems," he said.

Mr. White said the hay supply outlook is good.

"We've had unusually good rainfall from April through May," he said. "If it stays a normal rainfall year, we'll be in good shape."

Rainfall from the storms has raised questions about the health of the East Texas tomato crop.

In his column on page three of the Cherokeean Herald, County Judge Chris Davis expressed concern about tomatoes cracking and how the rain would affect the flavor.

Extension Agent Joe Daniel said the local tomato crop looks good.

"So far, we're alright," he said. "Pressure can develop at any time, but as of last week, we've seen good growth."

Mr. Daniel said cracking of the tomatoes due to excess rain is not uncommon, but so far the extension office has not seen that this year.

"Everything looks good right now, we are very optimistic," he said, but added that excess water can affect tomato flavor.

So with the Jacksonville Tomato Fest taking place this weekend, extension agents say so far, so good.

A total of 7.39 inches of rain fell in May, compared to three inches in 2006.

The storms on Sunday brought .77 inches of rain. So far this year, 20.66 inches of rain have fallen on Cherokee County.