Homepage

Heavy Rains are Causing Farms to Suffer Heavy Rains Are Causing Farms to Suffer

By Sunny Tsai

(MICHAEL BLAIR:)“We are at the mercy of Mother Nature.”

(Sunny Tsai:) Farmer Michael Blair could not be closer to the truth. Local farms are suffering from the heavy downpours in the recent months. And you could be next in line as victims.

(Michael Blair:) “Our growing season here in New York is only just so long. We have winter for 5-6 months out of the year, so when we have this window of time where we’re ready to grow, we need to use it. Unfortunately for the case of this year, we’re about two weeks into that window already, and we have not been able to plant any of our seeds yet.”

(Sunny Tsai:) Delaying the growing process also means that farmers can’t even begin to plant the seeds, which will affect how much crops they harvest later on in the season.

With less crops readily available in the market, the prices you pay for your fruits and vegetables may also increase. And this also varies for each crop.

(MICHAEL BLAIR:) A lot of the fruit that we do grow is pretty soft stuff. You take a strawberry and you soak it in water for a few hours and it just….falls apart.

(SUNNY TSAI:) “The heavy rains has been taking a drastic toll on local farms. As you can see behind me here at Abbott Farms, the water has collected at the bottom of the strawberry fields, making it impossible for them to grow for over an acre.”

For damage control, the farms have drainage pipes for a mile to collect water. However,

(MICHAEL BLAIR:) “There’s only so much pipe, and so much water that can move through that much pipe at one time.

Blair says this weather is a problem that will take a couple years to solve.

(MICHAEL BLAIR:) “So we’re going to have to wait a few years, cut back on production a little, put in new tiles, new drainage lines.”

As for the farms, the sun and wind has been working in their favor, and the farmers plan to start their growing process within the next week.

By  Sunny Tsai, Baldwinsville, N.Y. (NCC NEWS)- Local farms in Central New York are suffering due to the heavy downpours in the recent months. And this is not just a problem for the farmers.

With the overload of water in the soil, farmers can only wait for the land to dry in order to begin planting seeds. Seeds require the right combination of moisture and temperature to grow.

Some farms like Abbott Farms in Baldwinsville has delayed their planting by at least two weeks because of the weather.

Delaying the growing process will affect how much crops they harvest later on in the season. With less crops readily available in the market, the prices one will pay for fruits and vegetables may also increase. And pricing will vary per crop. Some are  more susceptible to water damage.

For example, Abbott Farms grows a lot of soft fruits, such as strawberries. When they are soaked in water for more than a couple hours, they will fall apart.

Abbott Farms Farmer Michael Blair said the rain really does not help with the small farming window Upstate New York has.

“Our growing season here in New York is only just so long. We have winter for five to six months out of the year, so when we have this window of time where we’re ready to grow, we need to use it. Unfortunately for the case of this year, we’re about two weeks into that window already, and we have not been able to plant any of our seeds yet,” Blair said.

For damage control, the farms have drainage pipes and other artificially created technologies to collect water.

“There’s only so much pipe, and so much water that can move through that much pipe at one time,” Blair said.

Even with some damaged crops and delays this season, strawberry picking will soon be open to the public, and the farmers will begin planting soybeans for the fall.

Related Articles