Tornado damage assessments for Cullman County, Alabama remain incomplete but one rising area of concern is the impact on the area's farming community, according to Cullman Times.

In fact, the entire north Alabama region suffered extensively from the storms. The largest impact, according to state and local officials will be felt by chicken farmers. Not all of their losses were from the direct impact of the storms. Power failures stopped the ability of some farmers to regulate temperatures in the chickens houses. Difficulties in getting diesel fuel for generators also contributed to the issue and many chickens died.

A large chicken house can hold thousands of the birds. Just the loss of one such house is a huge financial loss for a farmer. And if a farmer is getting up in years, the idea of borrowing more money to stay in the business is not attractive.

The issues that affected farmers could not be helped, with debris blocking roads and power lines down everywhere. Nonetheless, Alabama cannot stand to suffer long-term losses in such a lucrative business. Cullman County is at the top of the state in many areas of farming. The state as whole is one of the nation's leaders in poultry and other products.

In fact, the poultry industry is so strong in Alabama, where the climate, according to experts in the industry, is highly suitable for poultry farming, has many companies still interested in bringing more of this business to our state. That's a good point. But what about those who have lost so much?

The state government should take every possible step in rebuilding the poultry industry, says the Cullman Times article. That means legislators, the governor and others in state government should be working closely with federal-level officials to ensure that this industry makes a strong comeback. To accomplish this rebuilding, every effort must be made to assist the farmers who have tirelessly built one of the strongest features in Alabama's economy.