Dakota County pea producers face challenges from drought, wildfire smoke
DAKOTA COUNTY, Minn. -- Wherever you live in the Twin Cities, rain is in short supply this summer.
We've only seen about a quarter-inch in the past month, making this the driest 31-day stretch on record.
Nearly 20% of the state is now back in a moderate to severe drought.
"Dakota County is probably one of the largest counties in the nation for growing peas," said Mike Conzemius.
With its light soil and good water supply, Dakota County has helped Minnesota rank number 2 in the nation when it comes to pea production.
"It's a short-day crop. It's a 60-day crop," said Conzemius, who farms near Cannon Falls.
Unlike corn and soybeans, peas are harvested early in the summer. Spring rains usually mean Conzemius doesn't even have to irrigate his fields. But the past 3 years have been dry and challenging. He's placed moisture sensors around his pea plants to help conserve water, while he tries to grow his crop.
"It's kind of scary because there's not much subsoil moisture. So it's built-in and the problem has gotten worse," said Conzemius.
One of his fields is just a couple of days from being harvested. But it's not just the dry weather that's impacting his crop.
Heavy smoke from wildfires has also meant a lack of sunlight and it's slowed the ripening of his pea plants.
"Time will tell how we end up with the crop this year but obviously we don't like the smoke," said Conzemius.
He also worries that farmers will get frustrated and give in to urban sprawl or give way to solar farms. He's hoping pea producers stay the course, and Conzemius believes one way to make that happen is to get a heavy dose of rain from Mother Nature.
"An inch a week would be great," said Conzemius. "Our corn is getting to the point now where our corn could use it too. So yeah, an inch a week would be nice," said Conzemius.
Conzemius will grow also grow string beans after his peas are harvested.
"Birdseye" out of Waseca harvests his crops and turns them into frozen vegetables.