CARLISLE, Ark. — Francine has one of Arkansas's biggest industries preparing for the worst.
The state is one of the largest rice producers, bringing in millions of acres each year.
Recent dry weather in the state has caused crops to mature rapidly, but instead of having a couple more weeks until harvest, farmers are working nonstop to get these plants cut and stored before they become damaged.
"When you have a lot of things ready for harvest, that means a lot of bad things can happen from a weather standpoint," Rice Extension Agronomist Jarrod Hardke said.
And this is one of the worst-case scenarios.
After a good start to the year for crops like rice, cotton, and soybeans, Francine is dampening the harvest.
"Every minute I am not spending doing that is adding up the potential losses we may incur if what's potentially forecast comes to pass," Hardke said.
If Francine brings heavy winds and rains, the rice industry alone could suffer millions in losses, which is why farmers are fighting the clock to harvest as much of the crop as possible before the storm arrives.
Combines cut, thrash, and separate the rice in the fields. Farmers then put the rice into grain carts, load it onto trucks and take it to the mills.
"We are running out of space, time and speed due to how hard we are trying to go to the mills and dryers and other delivery points," Hardke said. "They are maxed out running extra hours and have been for the past week."
If rice or cotton aren't harvested, that could be it for them. They could become damaged, which means a huge loss for the farmers.