The issues that impacted farmers and farming in South Carolina are:
Lower costs for crops implied that farmers got less money and many sank into obligation and lost their homesteads.
Sharecroppers and tenant farmers were already locked in an endless cycle of debt, and those fortunate enough to claim their own territory were pounded by falling costs.
Insect damage.
Rivalry from other regions for SC's staple crops.
Plagues of pests such as grasshoppers, armyworms, or the boll weevil.
Droughts and floods could clear out an entire harvest, leaving the farmer with nothing.
Seven hurricanes severely damaged ranches and crops.
