Recent wet weather threatens local crops
Posted May 15, 2011 04:49:06 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
More than an inch and a half of rain has fallen on Foster’s Custom Farms in North Gower and that amount is a bit of a worry.
But according to the owner, Dwight Foster, it’s not likely this year will be totally ruined.
He said he and his workers are staying optimistic.
However, if we see more rain the hundreds of thousands of thousands of seeds he and many other farmers have already planted could rot.
Worst-case scenario that would mean losses of $600,000, but Foster said he’s confident that won’t happen.
“I have to be, I’m a farmer, I’m optimistic,” he said. “Every year’s a new beginning. Farmers are all that way, you know, you wouldn’t spend that kind of money to put seeds in the ground if we didn’t think it was going to be rewarding.”
He says he and 10 workers spent over 100 hours in the field last week planting corn and wheat and morale is high.
“That is, uh, we take great, great pride in producing something to feed the nation,” said Foster.
He told 1310News that it’s the standing water after heavy rainfalls, and not the rain itself, that causes the seeds to rot.
He said that should the rain water remain in his fields he could lose a few acres but overall that wouldn’t be a major loss.
He said talk amongst other farmers is that they’re behind compared to last year, but Foster said they need to remember that everything was early last year and, for now, they’re right on track.
