Summer drought may affect the price of produce and pumpkins this fall
High and Dry
MARYLAND – As we head into our fall season, some farmers are financially falling behind this fall due to the drought during the summer months. And with the environment negatively affecting the economy, sadly, it’s left some local farms out to dry.
Price of Produce
Whether it’s corn, cucumbers, potatoes, or pumpkins, local farmer Virgil Shockley said this year’s weather has affected planting overall. “The heat affected everybody, it did. because corn has to pollinate… One ear came from the lower ground, the other ear came from the higher ground. Now, obviously, if you hold them up, you can see the difference… This probably will not break you even, this may make you a little money, but it will not be the year that we had last year.”
River Souder, co-owner of Adkins Market said mainly grew drought-friendly crops such as field corn and pumpkins. He says smaller farms will wells or hoses probably made it through the summer, but at a cost, and ultimately, the drought still had an effect on their farm. “So, the drought really affected kind of your main summer crops, so the peppers the squash the zucchini, things that are really heavy in water… We grew a smaller milo maize that, it did, get a little affected by the drought, it ended up flowering a little early, and it’s not as tall, not as prolific, but our pumpkins flourished.”
With the price of produce rising, the question is, are people still willing to pay for pumpkins?
“Not necessarily,” says Souder. “People are scaling back on their pumpkin purchasing. In this area, I’ve seen people go for the smaller pumpkin… The summer, people struggled a little bit, buying produce, and you hear it all the time prices are high.” Souder says pumpkins are a way to brighten a home and although food is expensive you can put a price on fun. “The summer drains you; the heat drains you; the drought drains you, and by mid-August, late August, people are ready for something different, they’re ready for a change, and what’s better to bring a change than something bright, orange, and beautiful.”
Unfortunately, the crop season is over, so those lost plants will have to be made up for next season. Local farmers should look into better irrigation systems, says Shockley, to midgait damages in the future. Adkins Market says despite the drought, they are glad the recent floods didn’t reach their pumpkin patches because they do not hold well in water. They encourage residents to come and get a pumpkin while they’re still good.
Painted Pumpkins
Salisbury, Md. – Speaking of pumpkins, there are some people who just enjoy them for decorations. John Mccaig of Williams Market in Salisbury says, during this time of year, what better way to represent fall then a beautifully painted pumpkin.
They say they do anything from your favorite cartoons to your favorite sports team, and it only takes between 1 to 3 days to complete a piece. He says the Market has done really well despite the drought season, and he’s hoping these turn a profit this fall.
“It hasn’t really affected us, it hasn’t really affected our prices. As far as the pumpkins go, pumpkins are pretty good during drought. We’ve have just enough rain to make them actually really good this year…We have plenty of mums, plenty of pumpkins, we’re really stocked up, so come on down.”
Now if you wish to purchase a painted pumpkin, you can buy one that’s already at the store, or you can get one custom made for anywhere between $7 to $25 with the purchase of a pumpkin. Feel free to visit their website for more information.
