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What Does The Hot And Dry Weather Mean To Consumers?

Updated: Tue 6:31 PM, Jul 10, 2012

There is no question the hot and dry June took its toll on farmers, many of which will now struggle to make a profit.

"This is one of those years where you want to break even, if you break even you've done a great. This is not a year where farmers are looking to make a lot," says Chelsea Williams of Crooked Creek Farms.

Trying to make a profit does not necessarily mean the cost of the fruits and vegetables we love will rise, at least locally.

"It's not the consumers fault the weather is bad, and the weather always turns around. We really don't like to pass on to consumers we can absorb some of that higher price in watering," says Williams.

Farmers say the hot and dry weather has been most damaging to corn crops. Most of the corn stalks are very short and they have already turned brown.

Emily Young from Cedar Ridge Farm says she considers herself lucky as they have been able to irrigate their corn with well water, but her neighbors haven't had such luck.

"We have water wells on our farms so we have been irrigating our sweet corn in our garden. The field corn around us is pretty dry it's not as bad as a lot of our neighbors but it is still pretty dry," says Young.

It may be dry, but believe it or not it has brought some good news.

"This kind of weather is great for melons, a lot of people don't realize that the dryer the weather the sweeter the melon and so this year if you want to buy a melon buy a local melon and it's the sweetest melon you've had in a long time," says Williams.

Corn crops are also suffering nationally. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says 30% of corn crops are now considered in poor or very poor condition, which could lead to higher food costs later this year.


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