COVID-19, mid-May freeze, drought, and now flooding causing problems for farmers

 

Michiana farmers have had to endure a lot this year with the pandemic, and now the volatile swings in weather. Mother nature brought a mid-May freeze, drought conditions throughout April, May, and June, now flooding.

Overall, with all the trials faced, crops are looking near average for this time of year, mainly due to the early planting dates. With that being said there are still many challenges that lie ahead for farmers. With all of the flooding, and more rain in the forecast, it will be tough for farmers to get out in the fields to do second pass of sprays, which are a necessity for keeping their crops healthy. Another challenge for farmers is getting all they need to fix equipment and upkeep their crop. Parts and chemicals are in short supply, so if you didn't preorder it, you may not get what you need. This problem stems from the worker shortage caused by the pandemic.

I was lucky enough to catch up with one Michiana farmer, Greg Doms. He walked me through the challenges him and many others are facing. You can check out the full story here on our ABC 57 website.