Thunderstorms over the weekend and into this week provided parts of western Massachusetts with much-needed rainfall, therefore easing, a bit, the dry conditions.
Even if the area had a deluge, causing dried-out rivers and smaller waterways to once again flow, that may be just a drop in the proverbial bucket. After all, 62 percent of Massachusetts is facing severe drought conditions. Parts of the Pioneer Valley are only considered to be suffering a moderate drought, although on Friday the state issued a drought watch for the Connecticut River valley.
Regardless of the classification, the problems created by these conditions will likely have a ripple effect for months to come.
Consider what’s happening to area farmers and their livestock. As reported in The Recorder, the amounts of hay that farmers are able to cut has been reduced, with some saying their winter forage has been cut in half.
“I’ve talked to some farmers who are chopping up sweet corn for heifer feed or looking for other alternatives,” said Darryl Williams of Luther Belden Farm in Hatfield, where he grows 120 acres of hay and about 180 acres of feed corn. To help make up for his shortage, Williams plans to plant oats on a field he rotates with a tomato grower to make up for lost grain production.
“The drought makes things more stressful this year,” Williams said. “A lot of farmers are worried about the price of feed, where they’ll find feed and how they’re going to pay for it.”
“There’s sort of a trickle-down effect,” said Peter Melnik of Bar-Way Farm in Deerfield. “Guys who rely on pasture, there’s no pasture, so then they start feeding hay instead of feeding that hay in winter, they’re feeding it now. So what are they going to feed this winter?”
It’s not just dairy farmers who are feeling this pinch, but also those who raise cattle for beef, particularly those who normally depend upon grass for their feed. Finding other sources of feed can be expensive, leading some farmers to consider whether to reduce their herds.
The drought has an impact on those farms focused on produce, too. The lack of water has forced many to find ways to irrigate their plants, an effort that costs money and time.
And the combination of heat and less water has an impact on fruit trees. Ben Clark of Clarkdale Fruit Farms says some of his apples are ripening and dropping fruit a little sooner than normal.
That’s something the local consumer should be keeping in mind as the growing season changes from summer to fall and why it is so important to keep supporting our local farmers.