By Blake Jackson
New York farmers are facing significant losses due to the wet spring, which has prevented them from planting crops on time. The rain has saturated the soil, making it difficult for tractors to operate.
Mark Torrey, co-owner of Torrey Farms in Elba, said that many of the farm's vegetable and grain crops won't get planted this year. He had planned to plant 1,000 acres of onions but will only be able to plant about 500 acres.
Torrey is not the only farmer who is struggling. Craig Yunker, co-owner of CY Farms, said that he has only been able to plant 28 percent of his corn acres so far. Normally he would have 75 percent planted by now.
The farmers are concerned that the later they plant their crops, the smaller the yields will be. They are also worried about the increased costs of drying the corn in the fall.
Dean Norton, president of New York Farm Bureau, said that the entire state is being affected by the wet spring. He expects that there will be significant losses for farmers.
Norton said that the governor could declare the counties disaster areas, making farmers eligible for low-interest loans. However, he said that this will not make up for the millions of dollars that will be lost from unplanted acres and subpar crops.
Norton expects that consumers will pay more for food as a result of the wet spring. He said that there will be serious money lost for farmers and consumers.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-simplycreativephotography
Categories: New York, Crops, Government & Policy