FORT GIBSON, Okla. — With flood waters down, Darren Perry visited his corn field for the first time on Wednesday. He had never planted the crop until this year.
"We were trying to win the state competition. We don't get to now," Perry said.
It's Perry's first year as a commercial farmer. He lost all of his corn and most of the wheat, more than a million dollars worth in total. But Perry is moving forward with the support of his community.
"Everybody is going through the same emotions, everybody had the same thing happen. But it is reassuring to know that you're not in it alone," he said.
One pocket of wheat is left, about seven acres of the thousand he planted. Darren's cousin Jeff said they were unprepared for this much damage.
"We went through the 1986 flood. It was nothing like this. We lost the majority of the soybeans in 1986. Now we've lost everything," Jeff Perry said.
As fourth-generation farmers, the cousins expect their grandfather and family would offer a word of advice.
"I think they'd be encouraging. Without a doubt I think, I know, they would tell us to get up, plant, go to work, and don't dwell on what has happened. Just look to the future," Darren Perry said.
At this point, they're just waiting for the fields to dry up. Then the family will start fresh with a new crop in just a few weeks.
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