Much has been written about the devastation to our region following the unanticipated record flooding from recent tropical storm Irene, and I hesitate to rehash old news, but, at least in Essex County, the local food-supply chain took a hit.
Information is still coming in to our Adirondack Harvest office, but at least three of our largest fruit- and vegetable-growers — with fields located on the nutrient-rich floodplains of major rivers — found their crops deep underwater a couple weeks ago.
My heart sank as I gazed at crumpled hoop houses and barren land where the lush plants stood only hours before. As a diversified vegetable farmer myself, I knew well the extensive labor and supplies invested in this season alone.
At least one of these farms had been underwater earlier this spring when the record rainfall, combined with snowmelt, caused the rivers and lakes to rise beyond expected levels.
Back then, I marveled at the farmers' resilience. Could I ever stand that tall in the face of such an adversarial relationship with Mother Nature? And now, another flood, just when the summer crops were peaking and the fall bounty was approaching harvest time.
Some crops survived being submerged, but they may be largely inedible. Farmers are being advised to compost all crops that were touched by floodwaters. Fortunately, it looks like Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance will be available, along with other loans and emergency programs.
These farmers, knocked down repeatedly by aberrant weather patterns, are already planning for next season, using this opportunity to prepare new beds and make repairs to infrastructure.
They just love what they do, and we all benefit from that passion. At least they still have their land. At one Vermont community-supported agriculture field, Irene washed away all the topsoil; what's left is bedrock, and you can't farm that.
1. What problems that farmers encounter do you think are the most detrimental to the national food supply?
2. Do you think that the government should do something to help prevent destruction like this in the future or is it the responsibility of the farmer?
1. I think that subsidies and drought are usually the things that kill or take away the value of what they are growing.
ReplyDelete2. I think there should be infrastructure in place to protect the farmers to an extent but like the article said, they do it because they love it, farming is definitely a gamble to farm but a necessary gamble because we need food!
1. The most detrimental problems farmers face do seem to be environmental damage such as this recent flooding. From year to year, or even month to month, nature does not necessarily follow predictable patterns. This was seen in the recent droughts that have destroyed grain and cereal crops in Texas, Russia, and elsewhere. Places that have been free from the threat of flooding now, especially with the advent of global warming, face a problem that have not had to deal with previously. Environmental threats are the biggest threats since they can adversely affect crops on a state, national, and even international, let alone at a local, level.
ReplyDelete2. This question depends on whether you think people are better off looking out for each other and recognizing shared responsibilities within the society, or whether they are better off looking out just for themselves. If the latter, the entire society, not just the farmer, is left extremely vulnerable to any deviation in the market and the weather. This are forces that are too big for an individual to successfully face. On the other hand, if you realize that food is an interdependent commodity- others grow eat so you can eat it, you in turn subsidize their farms- and you believe it is better to have collective farms rather than produce all of your food yourself in your backyard, than everyone who is involved in the system has a respective responsibility to maintain and protect what is vital to all.
1. I think that drought is the most severe threat to farmers in today's world. If you look at Texas, 98% of the state is in a severe drought, and ~80% of the state is in the worst state of drought, extreme. This problem has occurred at least once in almost every region of the country over the past 5 years, and in some places more.
ReplyDelete2. Growing up in the area mentioned in this article, these farmers knew the risk of a flood. Pequannock, Pompton Plains, Little Falls, Lincoln Park, etc. all get flood at least every two years. Farmers who grow in areas where something devastating happens regularly should not be bailed out because it isn't fixing the problem. Instead of bailing these people out every few years, fix the problem. For instance, in Essex and Morris County, the government needs to actually FIX the Pequannock dam and increase flood storage upriver in the Highlands. That would stop the flooding problems and eliminate the need for bailouts every year or every other year.
1. I think weather is one of the most detrimental challenges that farmers face today and I think that the weather's impacts are escalated because of the economic pressures farmers face. The economy has put many farmers in a spot where they are having to produce better and more productive yields to make a living. In turn, I think we are seeing more non-regional crops being grown in regions that do not traditionally provide optimal growing conditions. Therefore, even the smallest change in rainfall one year can be enough to ruin a harvest.
ReplyDelete2. I think the way the food system is set-up makes this more of a global issue than a national one. Yes, we need federal programs like FEMA to provide aid in natural disasters but I am not sure that they can actually prevent destruction; the food system is very complex and outside just our own borders.
1. Obviously, weather is the biggest challenge that the farmers must face. In the face of changing weather patters and climate change, farmers are facing more challenges than ever as they attempt to produce food without knowing what the weather has in store for them.Some farmers have been forced to harvest later than usual following rains and horrible temperatures.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem that the small farmers have to face is the government regulations that only some big farms can afford, thereby adding another financial challenge to the small farmer.
2. I think that the government should help the farmers in order to correct some of the issues that they challenge. If you are a farmer with a small productive farm , it would be good to apply for a government grant. With the financial crisis keeping a farm running has become very hard to do. The food system is very complex and dealing with atmospheric and weather conditions is something that the farmers can't control.
1. Probably the greatest issues that farmers face are natural disasters that the government has no control over. While government subsidies ensure that food production remains high (at least on large farms), these policies can do nothing to alter the weather. As for small farms that are hurt by government subsidies, any event that cuts of supply of goods to local markets is detrimental to the local economy.
ReplyDelete2. The government can protect farmers in many ways, but little can be done to prevent rare floods events except spend billions of dollars in preemptive construction of dams, levees, and floodgates that may never be utilized. A more practical way to aid farms would be compensation for products destroyed in a natural disaster.
1. As the article implies, the impacts of an unpredictable environment play a huge role amount of food a farmer can produce. It will always a battle between farmers and the world that just has to be accepted and battle with the best resources available.
ReplyDelete2. It is great if the government can help farmers that are hurting in relation to food production, but the weather is the fault of no one.