Frankfort, KY – The recent rain that spread across the state was certainly a welcome sight to farmers, especially those large grain producers on the verge of losing their crops. But small producers including many who sell their harvests at farmers’ markets have suffered just as much, needing the rain to guarantee that late summer and fall produce will be available to their customers.
While these smaller-scale farmers have more flexibility on their side, the drought conditions coupled with record heat have created problems all their own.
Don Keeney, meteorologist for MDA EarthSat Weather, is quoted in a Reuters report as observing that "The rains will be too late for corn but it will help soybeans. We see upwards of an inch to 1-1/2 inches (of rain) this week and again next week for Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky,"
The Commonwealth has more than 150 markets and well in excess of 2,000 vendors, according to information from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The Kentucky Association of Farmers’ Markets reports those market generate $7.5 million for those vendors.
Joe Cleary of Cleary Hill Farm, located in Anderson County, sells his produce at the Frankfort and Lexington Farmers’ Markets. Even though many of his products are grown in a greenhouse, the weather has still affected his operation.
“The heat has started to hurt the greenhouse. The tomatoes are not getting to the size they should be and still, at roughly 90 degrees and above, the flower buds on beans, peppers and tomatoes die,” he said. “Even though you have, in a greenhouse, a controlled environment, you’re still going to have the same problems with some things as you would outside unless you have evaporated coolers to keep it cool.”
Cleary has six acres of produce outside of the greenhouse so watering has become a vital and expensive procedure he has had to endure to keep his vegetables growing.
“Unfortunately I use city water, so my water bill is $1,000 or better by now,” he said. “With the severe heat, the leaves are still crumbling.” Cleary said he has spoken with other market vendors that are uncertain just how much longer they can continue.
Larry Ayres of Ayres Family Orchard in Owenton grows apple, peach and plum trees along with blackberries. He said even with an irrigation system in place the heat was unbearable especially for his blackberry crop.
“The blackberries don’t like temperatures above 90 degrees so when it got so hot, even the red berries turned black and started baking and drying up on the vines and leaking juice even before they became ripe,” he said. “I think our blackberry harvest has probably been cut at least in half and that’s with me trying to water them.”
Ironically, the demand for his locally grown goods has been good this year, Ayres said; good news, if the weather had been better, for an ever increasing number of producers selling at the markets and the growing customer base that uses those markets as a key food supply.
Jeff Dabbelt, executive director of the Lexington Farmers’ Market said the dry and hot conditions certainly created more labor problems and costs to small producers and even with the recent rains more is needed or the next crop might not make it to the market. The first crop of field corn came in, but the second one probably won’t and the next is in question.
“I think we are still looking at a couple more weeks of wondering and hoping and that will be a little more indicative of our success with summer and fall crops,” he said. “It’s scary to think what might happen if we don’t get the rain.”
Dabbelt added that even crops that normally like the hot, dry conditions are reportedly short in supply or turning out to be bad, including squash and peppers.
And it was a promising beginning to the year. An early spring gave producers a head start in their planting.
“Asparagus, strawberries and the greens were really strong and really shaping up,” Dabbelt said. “But part of the market is the diversity and the breadth of offering we have. At least if we are going to suffer we have enough of an offering that our customers may or may not know. There might be shortages and it might be difficult across the board, but we should hopefully be able to maintain that offering.”
Dabblet added that he hopes customers keep in mind that the market needs them now more than ever.
‘We’ve got a long season always and just the one day at a time is very helpful to us,” he said.
The first widespread rains of the summer came last weekend but still the amount of precipitation falling over the state is spotty at best.
According to data from the Kentucky Mesonet weather site, Simpson County located in the extreme southern part of the state received just over two and a half inches of rain thus far in July. In neighboring Allen County, more than five inches of precipitation was recorded.
In Fayette County, 2.62 inches were recorded even though parts of the county received more than that and most of that came within a three day period. Surrounding counties received similar amounts. Right now farmers will take what they can get but overall, the state is still dry with a normally hot August still to come.
Tom Priddy, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture meteorologist said crops generally need about one inch of moisture each week to get plants established and guarantee optimum results. Those kinds of rains have simply not happened for the most part. Cleary said if adequate rain comes he could get another crop of beans out, but in all the 30 plus years he’s been in farming, he has never seen conditions as bad as the were during the hottest, driest period of July.