Ongoing Drought Affects Area Farmers
By: Rachel Polansky
Updated: August 9, 2012
With the ongoing drought drying up crops, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has called on leaders of the senate to include New York in any disaster relief program in the 2012 Farm Bill. Eyewitness News reporter Rachel Polansky spoke with area farmers to see how the weather is affecting their farms.
Area farmers are suffering. Some are still recovering from last year's natural disasters and this year's late spring frost. They say this drought is just the newest strain for farmers.
"With this substantial amount of drought, all we do is pray for rain, there's nothing we can do about it," says Joe DiNitto, co-owner DiNitto Farms.
"We're using equipment more which is money, we're putting more running time on the tractors so that's fuel and that's is money," says Michael Candella, owner Candella Farms.
Area farmers say the ongoing drought and extreme heat is stunting growth for a range of crops in our region.
"With the drought, some people might not realize the corn looks pretty good now because we did get some recent rain but we already lost during growing season and there's no way to make that back up and that's where we suffer the losses," says DiNitto.
Behind me, you can see Candella's irrigation system. With the lack of rain this season, they say they have to use thousands of gallons of water each day just to maintain a worthwhile harvest.
"We're watering more, just about every day so that's taking up quite a bit of time and we're going through a lot more fuel doing that, but without doing those things we'd be out of business," says Candella.
DiNitto says the drought will have a long-lasting affect, far past this harvest season
"We're gonna notice it for sure and we suffer it throughout the year. Not just at harvest time, we lack a feed for the full year and i wouldn't be surprised if some dairies are selling off their cows just to make it through and that's completely backward to which way we want to go," says DiNitto.
And just today, congress adjourned for the summer without passing a relief package for farmers and ranchers - meanwhile, they say this worst drought since the 1930s.
"It's been good over the last 4-5 years, but this year, and going on to 2013, the outlook isn't good right now," says DiNitto.
"Every year we say are we gonna keep doing this because it gets tougher and tougher every year," says Candella.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says she called for leaders to include New York state in any disaster relief program in the 2012 Farm Bill. But, that's before Congress took its summer vacation earlier today.
So as it stands, all New York farmers can do is wait to hear what's next.
Area farmers are suffering. Some are still recovering from last year's natural disasters and this year's late spring frost. They say this drought is just the newest strain for farmers.
"With this substantial amount of drought, all we do is pray for rain, there's nothing we can do about it," says Joe DiNitto, co-owner DiNitto Farms.
"We're using equipment more which is money, we're putting more running time on the tractors so that's fuel and that's is money," says Michael Candella, owner Candella Farms.
Area farmers say the ongoing drought and extreme heat is stunting growth for a range of crops in our region.
"With the drought, some people might not realize the corn looks pretty good now because we did get some recent rain but we already lost during growing season and there's no way to make that back up and that's where we suffer the losses," says DiNitto.
Behind me, you can see Candella's irrigation system. With the lack of rain this season, they say they have to use thousands of gallons of water each day just to maintain a worthwhile harvest.
"We're watering more, just about every day so that's taking up quite a bit of time and we're going through a lot more fuel doing that, but without doing those things we'd be out of business," says Candella.
DiNitto says the drought will have a long-lasting affect, far past this harvest season
"We're gonna notice it for sure and we suffer it throughout the year. Not just at harvest time, we lack a feed for the full year and i wouldn't be surprised if some dairies are selling off their cows just to make it through and that's completely backward to which way we want to go," says DiNitto.
And just today, congress adjourned for the summer without passing a relief package for farmers and ranchers - meanwhile, they say this worst drought since the 1930s.
"It's been good over the last 4-5 years, but this year, and going on to 2013, the outlook isn't good right now," says DiNitto.
"Every year we say are we gonna keep doing this because it gets tougher and tougher every year," says Candella.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says she called for leaders to include New York state in any disaster relief program in the 2012 Farm Bill. But, that's before Congress took its summer vacation earlier today.
So as it stands, all New York farmers can do is wait to hear what's next.
Comments
DiNitto Farm is a beautiful place. You should interview the other brother. He's the one that runs the farm!
Jordan M.
August 4, 2012 at 12:10 pm
