In Crooksville, Ohio, Cherry Orchards has been growing produce for almost half a century. But, like many other places in the state during the summer, the orchard has been feeling the effects of the worst drought to hit Ohio since the 1980s.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration currently classifies Southeast Ohio as a severe drought area. The area’s current drought index is -3.5 on a moisture scale that ranges from -4 to 4.
“We had quite a bit of a problem during the summer,” said Cherry Orchards’ owner, Neil Cherry.
He added he was only able to irrigate some sections of his apple and peach orchards, and the lack of regular rain caused problems this growing season.
“We could only harvest part of (the crops) and the apples and peaches were pretty small,” Cherry said.
Though Cherry experienced problems with his fruit farming, the drought is also affecting vegetable, grain and livestock agriculture.
“The effects of the drought are far and wide reaching,” said Brett Gates, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Gates said his department has classified about 60 percent of Ohio’s corn crops, along with about 30 percent of soybeans, as poor.
“We understand that folks have gotten a little relief with recent rain, but people are having trouble living through this drought,” he said.
Southeast Ohio needs 8.05 inches of rain for the drought to end, but rainstorms have only caused 0.18 inches in recent weeks.
According to the NOAA, about 50 percent of Ohio is classified as abnormally dry, while roughly 70.52 percent of the United States is in the abnormally dry category.
“The rain shut off completely during the critical months for crops production,” said David Drake, Ohio farm loan chief for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency.
The agency offers emergency physical-loss loans of up to $500,000 for farmers living in primary disaster counties. On Sept. 5, the USDA granted Gov. John Kasich’s request for a disaster designation for 85 Ohio counties, including Athens County. The disaster designation gives Ohio farmers the opportunity to apply for the emergency physical loss loans.
“Agriculture is an essential component of Ohio’s economy and our heritage, and if our farmers and Ohio’s food industry are suffering, Ohio suffers,” Kasich said in a news release.
Drake said there have been no applications for loans yet.
Though the drought is causing a price increase for livestock feed, Gates said it is unlikely that grocery store food prices will increase.
“That would be down the road,” he said. “It could be seen at a later date.”
Cherry, who regularly sells his produce at the Athens Farmers Market, chose not to increase produce prices this season.
“It is certain we have had losses,” he said. “Lower production equals lower profits.”
ml147009@ohiou.edu
