Rain Creating Problems For Local Farmers

“Its been real rough to mow the lawn. You gotta mow it whenever you can.”

“All the flower beds are just soaked.”

Those comments come from frustrated community members hoping to see the summer sun. But the rain has been affecting more than just the lawns and the flowerbeds.

“Its been a difficult growing season this year.” Said local farmer Bill Huston. “You can’t beat Mother Nature.”

Bill Huston’s been at it for a good chunk of his life now.

“This field would be about fifteen acres in this field.” Explained Huston, “We raise about one hundred acres of vegetables.”

But this year hasnt been an easy growing season. Huston said, “Years like this you remember the good years.”

Huston grows everything from melons, cucumbers, and tomatoes, but his main crop is peppers. With all of the rain and bad weather lately, his crop yield in his fifteen acre field is only half. It’s not the price at the grocery store that’s going to change, but rather Huston’s income.

“We’re hoping not to lose more than twenty thousand [dollars] this year.” He explained, “[But it] could be a lot more.”

The rain isn’t the worst of it.

“If we get a hot spell with no rain in August, none of these crops have root systems.” Said Huston, “If we get that ninty degree [day] with no water for ten days, I worry a lot about all the crops we’ve got in this County, about how much damage. I think that’s when the real loss is going to show.”

For now, it’s simply about perserverence.

“You know too many years in a row, you start to question if you really love this or not.” Said Huston, “As my dad used to say, if farming was easy, everyone would do it.”