This wet weekend may not be all rainbows for area farmers, who are preparing for potential challenges.
Depending on their crops, problems may arise due to the forecasted rainfall.
Despite the apparent arrival of spring on Delmarva, a sudden temperature drop and an incoming storm have cast a bit of a dark cloud over the agriculture community.
"March can be one of the most unpredictable months weatherwise," remarked Henry Bennett of Bennett Orchards in Frankford, Del.
However, Bennett reassures that his peach trees and blueberry bushes are resilient to rain. "This week we planted 1300 new Bennett blueberry bushes, and the rain this weekend is actually going to help them get watered in and established and off to a great start," he explains. "We are more worried about temperatures than rainfall this time of year."
However, at Don's Tree Farm in Greenwood, concerns are different. According to Don Hallowell, flooding fields can lead to issues like root rot, especially problematic for Christmas tree growth. "Once it is in the soil, it is hard to get rid of," Hallowell laments.
Nonetheless, he remains optimistic, stating that as long as his farm doesn't get completely soaked, things should remain manageable. "An inch and a half will be okay; anything more than that will be too much," he adds.
Hallowell expresses additional worry for farmers reliant on heavy equipment, like planters and tractors. "They need some consistency to the soil to handle the weight of that machine, or it just swallows them up; that is an issue," he explains.
Despite these concerns, farmers are gearing up for whatever challenges Mother Nature presents, demonstrating their resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty.
