Heavy Rains Challenge East Windsor Farmers

Heavy rains have been drenching all of New Jersey, but they've hit farmers the hardest. 

Farmers know better than anyone how fickle Mother Nature can be since their livelihood depends upon it. Many area farms have been tested by the heavy precipitation and suffocating humidity, coming off of the third-wettest June on record in New Jersey, according to state officials.

Crops thrive under a mix of wet and sunny weather, and it’s a delicate balance to strike. When a summer drought occurs, farmers can water their crops fairly easily, but there’s not much they can do when the scales are tipped the other way.

“Too much wet weather is bad for disease,” said Jill Stults of Stults Farm. “The water lies around and the next thing you know, there is bacteria on the bottom of the leaves and plants. It was just a breeding ground for diseases.” 

In addition, crops must be planted in a rotation so the soil is not exhausted, and days upon days of rain can derail planting schedules. Stults Farm offers sweet corn all summer, but had to delay some plantings this season because the ground was too wet to plant. This year's potatoes and cantaloupes were particularly prone to disease, according to Brian Stults. Crops planted in lower plots fared far worse than those planted higher since rain collected more densely and drowned them, Stults said. 

Cherry Grove Farm of Lawrenceville, which primarily sells beef, lamb, and pork, as well as cheese and eggs, has also experienced their share of frustration. The farm rotates its cattle every day, and heavy rains means more stuck tractors, and more difficulties putting in new fencing for the cattle. 

“In terms of retail, there’s a direct correlation between people coming to our farm when it’s nicer out versus when it’s not nice out,” said Brittany Libby of Cherry Grove Farm. “People tend to stay away.”

Chiu Lee of Lee Orchard Garden in Cranbury reported similar challenges and said that the farm had to replant cucumbers and melons due to recent losses. 

“Everything is okay now, but there was a delay,” said Lee. “We opened the market late and lost one month of income.”