Farmers in Pennsylvania are facing significant challenges in cultivating their crops.
However, farmers are anticipating this weekend’s upcoming weather and the promise of much-needed rainfall.
Tyler Shaw, co-owner of Maple Valley Acres, acknowledged the current predicament, but highlighted the potential for a dramatic turnaround in the weather conditions.
He stated, "We're only halfway through the season, so we have a lot of summer and fall left ahead of us, so we could go a complete 180 the other way and have wet conditions or stick with the dry conditions."
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, over 15,000 acres of corn and 14,000 acres of hay in Dauphin County are being affected by the drought.
Tyler Shaw explained, "With as dry as it was, we didn't get the regrowth that we normally do in June, so we probably won't get those later cuttings, which are the higher quality cuttings.”
This setback is stopping farmers from producing their usual growth rates during this time of year.
Additionally, the drought is also impacting pastures intended for livestock and horses.
Karoline Shaw, co-owner of Maple Valley Acres, expressed concern over the situation, commenting, "Which is making everybody need to feed more hay, so we're going to run into supply issues, I think, when we get into fall and winter."
Farmers are using a variety of strategies to protect their crops from the effects of dry weather conditions.
Source: local21news.com
Photo Credit: istock-urpspoteko
Categories: Pennsylvania, Weather