AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Dry Crop Radio Wrap
Spencer Buley: Since then, dry weather has farmers across Central New York struggling to grow crops. N-C-C’s Luciano Calvosa joins us live from the newsroom to tells us how local farmers are battling the conditions before harvest season.
Luciano Calvosa: Central New York has seen little rainfall this growing season, forcing farmers to get creative. Dave Vollmer, owner of Vollmer Farms in East Syracuse, says the prepping for harvesting season is at a stall at the moment..
Dave Vollmer: ” We got the crops in, everybody’s got in their stuff in, and where at a stall unless you have a lot of irrogation because it’s so hot and dry.”
Luciano: He says that the dry weather has caused his farm to delay their fall harvest. Vollmer Farms is forced to push back their timeline for harvest season. their main crops they produce are tomatoes and pumkins.
They expect to start harvesting their crops towards the middle of September.
Reporting live from the newsroom, i’m Luciano Calvosa with N-C-C News.
Back to you Spencer.
EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Central New York farmers are facing significant challenges this season as dry weather continues to threaten crops ahead of the fall harvest.
Dave Vollmer, owner of Vollmer Farms in East Syracuse, says the lack of rainfall has put a pause on preparations for harvest season.
“We got the crops in — everybody’s got their stuff in — and we’re at a stall unless you have a lot of irrigation because it’s so hot and dry,” Vollmer said.
Vollmer Farms, which primarily grows tomatoes and pumpkins, have been relying heavily on irrigation systems to maintain crop health during the drought-like conditions.
While irrigation offers a temporary solution, the continued heat and dry weather remain a concern for farmers throughout the region. Without consistent rain, many crops may not reach their full potential by the time harvesting begins later this summer.
On average, vegetable crops in Central New York need about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week—whether from rainfall or irrigation—to grow properly. Without it, farms have to look in a different direction to keep with the proper watering amount for crops to be ready for harvest season.