New England has been subject to unusual and inconsistent weather for this part of the country this year. For local farmers, who are of course always in need of water for their crops, the rain and inconsistent weather posed unique challenges this year, and they resulted in the significant loss of some crops.

Dave Dumaresq from Farmer Dave’s in Dracut, Tewksbury and Westford: “Last year was our worst drought in about 20 years, and that drought continued well into this spring.” Dumaresq and his more than 80 employees prepared for this year’s planting seasons as if 2023 was going to be another drought, and they began irrigating certain crops in April and May to get them to germinate. Then the rains arrived in bulk.

The soil in his farms ended up being the main saving grace, due to their sandy composition that makes it easier for water to drain. But Dumaresq, like of his colleagues, still experiences crop loss due to the excess water. In some lower lying parts of his fields, particularly among his rows of potatoes, Dumaresq is faced with crops that have simply been drowned.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com