Survey finds extreme weather cost farmers $13 million in lost crops
CONCORD, N.H. — We’ve known for a while that this year’s crazy weather and record rainfall hit farmers hard. Now, the UNH Extension has released a new survey that puts a number to the losses experienced by fruit and vegetable producers.
In his report, Jeremy DeLisle, a UNH Extension field specialist who conducted the survey, said the 2023 growing season brought “extreme challenges.”
That included a May 18th frost that wiped out 50 to 100 percent of apples, pears, plums, and sweet cherries, he wrote in his report. The frost impacted vegetable producers, too, destroying some crops altogether and delayed others. DeLisle said this year’s heavy rains could make some crops more susceptible to disease and reduce yield.
The 70 fruit growers who participated in the survey reported crop losses of $9.98 million, while vegetable producers accounting for over 1,000 acres reported they had lost more than $3 million in crops in 2023.
“The real impact on vegetable producers in 2023 came from excessive rainfall and constant moisture, with flooding in some areas as well,” DeLisle wrote. He said he hopes the report quantifying farmers’ losses will inform federal lawmakers who could provide emergency relief to farmers.
According to UNH Extension, the rain causes poor seed germination and delays the ripening of produce. It can also be hard to access fields when the ground is saturated, requiring more labor to harvest by hand. Nutrients can also leach out of the soil, reducing its fertility. And the soil can erode entirely.
New Hampshire farmers grow a wide range of vegetables, and crops like sweet corn, pumpkins, squash varieties, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers are among the most economically important.
One farmer quoted in the report described watching her plants struggle and die: “We will continue to see the negative impacts of the wet weather through the remainder of this year’s harvest season, as we continue to watch new succession plantings fail to germinate, or rot in the fields.”
Some crops like baby greens, carrots, and radishes were simply washed away after seeding. While the tomato crop survived, it was delayed by three weeks and ended early, dramatically shortening the harvest season.