VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Dry conditions have some farmers working harder to keep crops healthy.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor website, much of Hampton Roads, including Hampton, Newport News, York County, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach are in a “Moderate Drought” state which comes with an increased fire risk.
Mike Wallace, Director of Communications for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said that most fruit and vegetable growers have irrigation, so the impact of the dry weather is minimal. He added that grain farmers are generally happy with these conditions.
Watch: Hampton Roads no longer in drought in August; other parts of VA see extreme conditions
In Pungo, John Cromwell, said he’s been watering his vegetable crops for about three weeks which is unusual for this time of year.
“As far as the weather’s concerned, it’s been good for us in a way that we’ve had very warm temperatures and the crops haven’t been hurt from the cold weather,” explained Cromwell, “But on the flip side of that, it’s been terribly dry. So we’ve been pumping water for about three weeks on the various crops of greens: collards, kale, and all the fall crops.”
He also explained that the irrigation pipes are portable, and he pumps water from a nearby pond into those pipes to soak the plants.
Watch: ODU's Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience watching drought conditions in NC & VA
Much of what he is growing now will be harvested just before Thanksgiving, which he says is a big time for greens.
Meanwhile, the Cromwell Farm stand on New Bridge Road will remain open as he hopes for more rain.
