By Ali LaFay
alafay@eagletribune.com
July 02, 2009 01:39 am People aren't the only ones tired of the rain — summer crops are sick of it, too. The excessively soggy month of June damaged crops at New Hampshire and Massachusetts farms, particularly strawberries, tomatoes and corn. In addition to taking a toll on crops, the rain has made it difficult for farmers to maintain their fields. With this much wet weather, weeds grow at an alarming rate and soil absorbs too much moisture, quickly turning it to mud. "We can't do anything but just wait it out and hope Mother Nature gives us some sunshine," said David Burton of Mann Orchards in Methuen, Mass. Mann Orchards, which has 20 acres of farmland, already has lost cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes this season. The 40-acre Johnson Highland View Farm in Windham has had similar troubles, but owner Scott Johnson remains optimistic. "If you can't take a wet June, get out of farming," Johnson said. Like Mann Orchards, the biggest problem at Johnson's farm has been dealing with muddy fields. "There's just no substitute for sunlight and heat, but losing your field is the bigger problem," Johnson said. "Not only is the field soaked, but there's been a lot of erosion, too." He said he had to bring in a bulldozer this year to try to reshape his fields because of too much mud. Johnson said the past three springs have been particularly rainy, and he has learned a few tricks to produce an abundant summer crop — no matter what. "When we transplant our tomatoes from the greenhouse to the field, we hold some of them back," Johnson said. "That way, if we lose some we're not losing the entire crop." He does this with his tomatoes, peppers and squash to make sure enough of each crop survives the rain. The one thing Johnson can't do anything about is his 30 acres of wet hayfields. "The ground has to be fairly dry and then you need a three- to four-day window of dry air so the hay can dry out before it's bundled," Johnson said. If Johnson were to bundle his hay while it was still damp, it could become moldy and could even lead to spontaneous combustion. He said his biggest loss this season will be in hay sales, which he usually sells for $7 a bale. The 120-acre Smolak Farms in North Andover, Mass., has adapted to unpredictable New England weather by using underground tubes to siphon water off its fields. Farm manager Aaron Pollock calls it "tiling." "It keeps the water-holding capacity of the plants lower and helps to prevent erosion," Pollock said. But tiling hasn't salvaged the farm's pick-your-own strawberries and raspberries. "The lack of warm weather and sunlight is a problem," Pollock said. "They're not ripening as fast as they should with the rain." In addition to damaging summer berries, he said the rain has kept customers away from the Smolak farm stand and weekend festivals. "It's harder for people to come out and have a more enjoyable time," Pollock said. But he seems to have taken a page out of Johnson's book and remains optimistic that the rest of the summer crop season will turn out just fine. "Being a farmer, you always have to be optimistic," Pollock said. "The best thing you can do is adapt and overcome." ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
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