x
Breaking News
More () »

A dry spell for local farmers

Farms and gardens that saw rain in Luzerne County certainly needed it. One farm in Harding says it's already too little, too late.

LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Storm clouds rolling in over the valley are a welcome site for dry farmlands in Luzerne County.

Ed Charney, the owner of Charney Farms on Pecks Road in Harding, says his crops sure could any rain they can get. 

"When you got dry weather, you get advanced maturity, so things come in a little quicker, but what's happening is that it's coming in all over the place. It's not consistent," said Charney.

And that inconsistency is bad for business.

This past weekend Charney chose not to sell any sweet corn or hay. 

"I don't have enough corn to pick; the product I have isn't that good. So I really don't want to sell an inferior product," said Charney. "It's dry out in the fields and the woods, so there's a lot of animal pressure too."

With rain earlier in the day, Charney was optimistic about how well it saturated the ground.

According to Charney, after being dry for so long, you only need to dig down a little bit to find some dirt that turns into dust.

Many farmers apply for crop insurance to cover times when ground conditions become tough, but for Charney, that's a road he doesn't want to go down again.

"I had crop insurance, and I tried to make a claim due to dry weather, and they considered a marketable ear of corn to be five inches in length," said Charney. "I probably lost fifty percent of the crop."

Charney says his only option for this season is to harvest what he can now and hope that the corn he planted last month sees enough rain to be ready for Labor Day.

Before You Leave, Check This Out