MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) – That has been the case 23 days without measurable rain in the Delaware Valley. The worsening drought is taking a toll on agriculture in Delaware County and other parts of the Philadelphia region.
Farmer Norm Schultz of Linvilla Orchards says he is concerned about the thousands of peach, pear and apple trees. This year’s crop has already been harvested, but he said without enough rain the trees won’t produce as many flower buds, which could mean less fruit in 2025.
“We’re just concerned that the trees are under so much stress, how many flowers they produce and that the number of flowers has a direct impact on the amount of fruit next year,” Schultz said.
Another crop he’s concerned about is Christmas trees, which you can cut yourself the week before Thanksgiving.
“Retention of the needle is the most important thing for our customers, that the needle stays tight in the tree,” says Schutlz. “We have never seen it so dry during the mowing season.”
Linvilla uses drip irrigation to keep small crops, such as strawberries, moist. A plant that tolerates drought well is the fig tree, which can survive in the desert.
An advantage of the lack of rain is that the nice weather makes it more pleasant to visit the farm.
“It’s really beautiful,” said customer Cailey Sanchez of Aston. “It’s nice – 70. A little chilly in the morning and evening, but right now it’s beautiful.”
Schultz said there is such a thing as too many sunny days. He hopes that the drought will end soon.
The South Jersey farm is also feeling the effects of the drought
Clover Valley Farm in Burlington County, New Jersey, is facing similar impacts as Linvilla.
Residents of Southampton Township, Burlington County, haven’t seen rain in months. The drought is affecting everything from their crops to their livestock and their food.
Clover Valley has six beehives, but when they recently went to harvest the honey, they discovered that most of the combs were empty. There is barely enough honey to keep these bees going through the winter, let alone to sell to their customers.
A pond in Clovery Valley has been reduced to rubble, and a field normally green for cows to feed on is dry and cracked due to the lack of moisture in the soil. It makes it impossible to produce silage and grow crops.
Clover Valley’s owners said the farm will be in big trouble if it doesn’t get a lot of rain soon.
“Horrible? I don’t even want to go there, that’s hard to understand,” said Danielle Wainwright, co-owner of Clover Valley Farm. “We need to get our fall crops in the ground to germinate this spring. We’ve been trying to plant a few. If they germinate, will they just die because there isn’t enough moisture to keep going? All we can to do is to pray and hope. That’s hard to understand if this continues.”
Clover Valley Farm estimates that the drought has cost them about 30% of their yield this year.
Only steady, significant rainfall will help their business recover.
Madeleine Wright
