For farmers and ranchers in the Ozarks, the summer of 2015 brought rain, rain and more rain.
Flooding, downed trees and washed out roadways were just a few of the issues folks in the agriculture scene had to deal with this year – but, as always, farm life goes on and people in the Ozarks found a way to make hay while the sun shines – in between the rainstorms, of course.
According to the University of Missouri Climate Center, 2015 is the second wettest summer (May through July) on record with 22.41 inches of rain, falling just shy of 1981’s record rainfall of 22.55 inches. With the summer heat and the high amount of moisture, humid conditions were rampant throughout the Ozarks. Summer temperatures, however, were somewhat below normal.
According to an article on the Missouri Climate Center website, “The statewide average temperature for the month was 77.5 degrees, or a tenth of a degree below normal. The slightly cooler than normal weather broke a four-month string of above average warmth this year.”
The article went on to state that “The persistent wet growing season posed major challenges for farmers this year including planting crops, cutting hay, flooded fields, nutrient loss, diseases and other factors. Other impacts include delayed construction and transportation projects, water in basements, flash flooding, prolonged waterlogged vegetation, etc. The last time we’ve seen an entire growing season with no drought stress for any part of Missouri was 2009.”
Most farmers and ranchers in the Ozarks were impacted by the wet summer in some way, and plenty of folks noted that the rain made planting and haying difficult. “It kept being too wet to plant,” said Lois Parker of Parker Farms in Lockwood, Mo.
Tom Lewis, of Broken Wire Ranch in Stockton, Mo., said that his crops suffered from the lack of sun and wet conditions.
“My peppers look good as far as Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree goes,” Tom said. “But they aren’t producing anything.”
He noted that his corn didn’t pollinate well, and that his melons came on later than usual and had issues with excess moisture.
But farmers are nothing if not persistent, and the Ozarks growers have found ways to combat the wet weather.
“When we can get out there, we plant when we can,” Lois said. “We’re starting earlier on our fall crops,” Tom said, adding that he has high hopes for cooler season vegetables like carrots and broccoli.
It wasn’t just plants affected by the heavy rains of summer 2015 – livestock were pretty soggy too. Ducks were some of the only farm critters who thought the weather was fine.
Tom and Becky Landers, of Landers Lean Meats in Dadeville, Mo., said it took some work to keep their pastured meat and laying chickens dry and comfortable.
“We had to add extra straw for the chickens,” Becky noted.
The pastured poultry were glad to nestle down in clean, dry straw in their portable housing units.
The Bechard Family Farm, producers of beef, chicken, lamb and pork in Conway, Mo., and had to run quite a bit of damage control in the form of fence repair on their farm to keep the livestock contained.
“We had a lot of debris washed up on the fences,” Teddi Bechard said.
With flexibility and hard work, the farmers and ranchers of the Ozarks will continue to persevere through the weather related challenges that Mother Nature brings to the table.
