photo by Laura Johnson

Good service: John Neighbors serves Rita Cream, Cheryl Blair and Annie Tolbert at the farmer’s market in Alexander City Saturday.

From one extreme to another

Hot temps make it tough on farmers

By Dale Liesch (Contact) | Alex City Outlook

Published Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Farmers in Tallapoosa County just can’t catch a break during this growing season. May’s extreme moisture made way for June’s extreme temperatures and both have caused fits for local farmers and gardeners.

“It has slowed down the process of getting crops in the ground,” Tallapoosa County extension coordinator Tommy Futral said. “It gets them behind and has slowed down the season.”

Futral said the change in conditions has had an adverse impact on local crops and has diminished yields for farmers.

“It stresses plants to go from being in the cool moisture to the dry and hot sauna we have right now,” Futral said.

The conditions have also caused a significant increase in the amount of blossom end rot on tomatoes, melons and peppers grown throughout the county, according to Futral, which can make the fruit unusable.

The best insurance against damage related to these conditions is an irrigation system, which Futral said could be found on many farms in the county. However, the conditions can be frustrating for beginning growers, but growing a variety of crops can help many avoid problems with seasons like this one.

“You want to grow a variety of crops so you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket,” Futral said. “That way something you plant will make it.”

Area farmers may be able to get some relief as the unusually hot June temperatures are expected to drop later in the week. The ridge of high pressure that has dominated our part of the state for months will be moving west, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Tara Golden.

“The high pressure system should begin moving to the west,” Golden said. “It will still be warm, but not as warm as it has been.”

As the system moves out of the area, a greater chance of rain will move in giving the area a slight chance of thunderstorms for the rest of the week.

Tuesday’s high will be in the low 90s with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms during the day. Lake Martin residents can look for low to mid 90s the rest of the week with storm chances in the 10-20 percent range through Friday night.

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