Dry, hot summer taking its toll on Minnesota farmers
MARINE ON ST. CROIX, Minn. -- Parts of Minnesota got some much-needed rain Monday afternoon, which was encouraging for farmers, especially with the mid-90s forecasted for most of this week.
Experience does matter during a growing season like this. May Lee came to the U.S. from Laos 40 years ago, and she's one of the first Hmong certified-organic farmers in the entire country. She grows crops at Big River Farms in Washington County, a training ground for immigrant farm families.
"I have cucumbers, I have peppers, I have zucchini, and I have beans, carrots," said Lee.
Lee has been doing this long enough now that part of her role is to teach others how to farm. With a lack of rain, her job has become challenging. There is a learning curve here for immigrant farmers, like trying to figure out how much to irrigate during another hot, dry summer. And sometimes that can be a tough lesson to learn.
"I know one other family who lost all their contract corn. They seeded it and it was so dry, it germinated but wouldn't grow. We don't have enough water," said Lee.
RELATED: Canadian wildfire smoke, drought conditions challenging sweet corn farmers
In the area around Big River Farms, growers share everything, including water. Up to 15 farmers are using the same irrigation system so there's a limit on when and how long they can use it.
"The last couple years here we have a problem because we don't have the irrigation we need and we are in high demand of the rain here," organic farmer Emilio Vaca said.
It's made for a learning environment that's become a crash course in Minnesota farming.
"So you have the heat, the drought, and smoke, and it really shows how increasingly difficult it is for farmers to really be able to deal with those elements. Anyone just working outside, too," program manager Summer Badawi said.
Big River Farms says the lack of moisture has also hurt cover crop soil, which will be used for next year's growing season.
Much of the organic vegetables Big River Farms grows is for food access and hunger relief.