Wet weather wreaks havoc on local businesses, farmers
The floodwaters might have receded, basements might have dried out, but the inordinate amount of rain that has spilled on the region this year is still having an effect on businesses that depend on the ground not being saturated.
Take farmers, for instance, who rely on verdant grass for their cattle and sheep to graze upon. They have found that some of their ground has been torn apart and reduced to mud thanks to downpours that have been cycling through the region. And golfers have found that a leisurely drive in a cart can end with it being stuck in the mire.
“It’s been a struggle,” said Jim Cowell, a Greene County farmer.
Of course, most of us find having an excess of rain to be a burden, whether it’s the assembly line of gray days, the scuppered outdoor activities or the mops that need to be dug out when puddles form in distant corners of the cellar. But the load is greater for farmers, whose livelihoods can rise or fall based on the quality and accessibility of their crops.
“There are a lot of multifaceted issues with all the rain we’ve been having,” according to Will Nichols, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. “The animals can tear up the grass a lot, and you’re not getting sunlight to help the grass grow.”
Cowell, who operates Frosty Springs Farm in Greene Township, joked “the springs aren’t frosty, but they’re full.” He explained it can be a trial for farmers to get in fields to retrieve hay, to cite one example, because tractors are now heavier than they once were and “the ground is so soft that you can’t get through the fields.” Then, to top it off, the quality of the hay takes a hit when the ground is excessively saturated – the quality of the hay is below normal, and its nutritional value decreases. When this happens, Cowell needs to supplement the hay he gives his animals with feed so that they get sufficient protein. Paying for the feed adds to his costs.
He also said livestock don’t fare as well with excessively wet grass, because it is leeched of its nutritional value.
“This ground is still super soft,” he said.
Though they are very different enterprises, golf