SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — While a lot has been made of the current record drought for the Philadelphia region, nearby New Jersey farmers have been dealing with a lack of rainfall throughout most of this year.
Newell Thompson, executive director of the New Jersey Agricultural Society, said farmers are smart and have figured out ways to mitigate most of the damage, so there haven’t been any major shortages or skyrocketing prices on produce.
But a continued lack of rain creates more problems for them to solve.
“Farmers really need to put cover crops down and plant winter wheat and other things and that can’t happen until there’s moisture in the ground,” said Thompson.
He said most produce crops have survived, but major problems have come with exported commercial corn and soy. Cranberries have also struggling because the bogs they grow in require a lot of water. Some fields, he said, won’t even be tended to.
“We’re looking at crop loss anywhere between 30 and 80-percent depending on the farm and the location,” said Thompson. “It is drastic, and we really still haven’t seen numbers yet to see what that means in terms of monetary value.”