SCRANTON, Pa. — With the dry and windy weather leading to burn bans across the state, November at the Co-Op Farmers Market in Scranton feels much different than usual.
"November, I have short sleeves on, but it's been a good year overall," says Clay Lacoe.
While farmers love the unseasonable temperatures, they do not love this dry stretch of weather.
"We can definitely use some rain. I've never seen the Susquehanna River as low as it is, and I've been on it all my life," says Bill Hopkins of Hopkins Farm.
While the dry spell isn't impacting crop growth at this time of year, Lacoe says it is creating a major threat to their farms as a whole.
"On the property, we don't do any burning, but yeah, it's a concern. So far so good, we've had no problems. I know there's been a few small brush fires in Ransom Township. Luckily, they were able to control them," says Lacoe, Owner of Lacoe Farms.
Wyoming County was the latest to initiate a burn ban on Wednesday, as wildfires are raging across parts of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Hopkins farm, located in Falls, is happy to see this ban in effect.
"Sometimes people just don't think, and they go out and burn their papers or have their little bonfires on Friday night, and it just turns into a catastrophe sometimes," said Hopkins.
But it has a lingering effect on these farmers, impacting what's to come next season.
"This time of year, with this time of weather, it's good to harvest it. But, it is not good for the winter time because I have a lot of ground that needs to be seeded to hold over for next year because we rotate. That needs a little rain to get the seeding up," added Lacoe.
These farmers hope the warm weather sells this fall's batch of crops.
"As Thanksgiving gets closer, they'll start to show up. We've also had Halloween and the election, that slows things down too. At least we're not out here freezing, that's the good part," said Lacoe.
The Scranton Co-Op farmers market closes the day before Thanksgiving.