Worcester County

Virtually rainless summer taking a toll on local farms

SHERBORN, Mass. — At the Medway Community Farm, they’re already harvesting the first wave of summer vegetables — including zucchini, yellow squash and patty pans. Tomatoes should be ready for picking in about a month. But they may look a little different this year — thanks to the dry, hot weather in Eastern Massachusetts.

“We’re going to have nice tomatoes because they like the heat,” said Farm Manager Todd Sandstrum. “But they may be a little bit smaller this year.”

They could also be sweeter — or at least have a more intense flavor, Sandstrum said, because a lack of rain tends to concentrate the essence of vegetables. Expect, then, spicier hot peppers this year, he said.

Those are the good things about a rainless summer.

But for farmers, they are outweighed by the bad.

“The rain has definitely been a challenge for us here at Medway Community Farm,” Sandstrum said.

A challenge first, because there hasn’t been enough of it. And second, because when the rain has fallen — such as on Monday — it’s been relentless.

“A good rain is a nice, slow rain,” Sandstrum said. “We’re starting to see more and more of those big, tropical downpours.”

Even dry soil can quickly get overwhelmed trying to absorb a sudden deluge. That leads to run-off and plants still desperate for a drink.

“And it’s a struggle,” Sandstrum said. “Agriculture is really one of those things that we do our best. But, at the end of the day, Mother Nature controls everything.”

She even controls, indirectly, what farmers are spending these days on gasoline. Days of no rain have left places such as the Medway Community Farm dependent on irrigation. To get the water from its stream to the plants requires pumps — that run on gasoline.

“A trip to the gas station and you’re two hundred bucks a week in fuel.. to try and mitigate... try to keep things moist,” Sandstrum said.

That could contribute to price hikes for local produce this year — and the continuous pumping of water from streams and rivers for agricultural use could further lower waterways enjoyed by boaters.

Christie Kuo kayaks regularly on the Charles River as it winds through such towns as Medfield, Sherborn and Natick.

“It’s getting low, but it’s not the lowest it’s ever been,” Kuo said. “I’m getting in my good paddles while I can because I know if we don’t get good rain, it’s not so much fun to paddle.”

Diane Gilbert, a kayaker from Walpole, said water levels were so low last week on a stretch of the river in Norfolk they couldn’t paddle their boats through.

“And the seaweed is just really... it’s the worst I’ve ever seen it,” she said.

With no steady rain in the forecast this week (although there’s a possibility of thunderstorms over the weekend) it’s likely river and stream levels will drop further in the short term — and likely, also, that Eastern Massachusetts will remain in what the state calls a ‘significant drought.’

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