ALLENDALE, S.C. (WJBF) – Farming has been a way of life for many in Allendale. But with Hurricane Idalia expected to have major impacts in the area, farmers aren’t taking any chances.

Experts from Clemson’s extension office in Allendale County say one of the things farmers need to do to prepare is to protect their livestock.

Along with having access to fresh water and food, they say farmers have a couple more important things to take care of.

“You need to make sure they get to higher ground,” said Area Livestock and Forges Agent Hillary Pope. “We don’t know if you live in a flooded state/area. So they need to be able to get to higher ground. Have some way to ID your livestock, you can get some livestock safe spray paint and spray paint your number on the side.”

But some farmers also say protecting their crops needs to be a priority as well.

Baynard Connelly has been farming his whole life, and he says the rain would be great for his corn, but the potential heavy wind damage would not.

“I’m worried about the wind more so than the rain,” said Connelly. “We’re in a drought situation down here now, so we need the water, but not the wind to go with it.”

According to Connelly, at his farm they have 3,000 acres of corn, and him along with 11 other people in his family have been working day and night to cut the corn.

After working for the past couple days, they are down to the last 500 acres.

“Well we’re harvesting corn right now. We’ve been almost running around the clock–cutting at night when we could. So they cut last night, and they’re cutting right now,” said Connelly.

But even with farmers doing the best they can to prepare, Pope says there’s no way to predict how bad the damage could be.

“We won’t necessarily know the impact until after the storm. It can go many different ways,” said Pope.

The VIPIR 6 Alert Team at NewsChannel 6 expects the storm to hit Allendale starting in the morning, but the worst of Idalia will come tomorrow afternoon.