Farmers in Washington state are fearing poor crop production this year because of a persistently cold spring. Hoping to salvage something close to a normal crop season, they are praying for warmer temperatures.
“I don’t recall a year that has been this wet and this cold for so long,” Washington farmer Dan Bartelheimer told the Everett, Washington, Herald.
In an article titled, “Farmers feel sting of unseasonal weather, record inflation,” the Herald reports, “A wet, cold spring has impacted crops from hay to pumpkins to corn. Meanwhile, farmers’ costs for fuel and fertilizer are climbing.”
“A wet and chilly spring has impacted farmers across Western Washington. Strawberry growers are waiting for their berries to ripen. Some dairies worry about having enough food for their cows. And the weather is worsening shortages of certain crops like hay or corn, further pushing up prices,” the Herald reports.
Farmers throughout the region are rooting for warmer weather. According to the Herald, “At Chubby Bunny Farm in Arlington, the number of pests has increased amid the cool wet weather, said owner Michael Deitering.”
“As plants have grown slowly in the cold, the farm has had a smaller selection of produce to sell,” the Herald noted.
“Farmers are also behind on planting field corn, used for animal feed,” the Herald added.
Meanwhile, the national media focuses relentless attention on heat in some parts of the country, while ignoring cold temperatures in others. Getting lost in the media messaging is the fact that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s U.S. Climate Reference Network – implemented in 2005 as the most accurate network of temperature stations throughout the country – shows no warming trend at all. Some places experience record warmth, some experience record cold, and the overall trend defies claims of a climate crisis.
[Photograph courtesy of Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/goats-animals-livestock-cute-trio-1946015/]