Fluctuating weather has Massachusetts farms concerned about losing crops
NORTHBORO - As the temperature continues to fluctuate, farmers in Massachusetts said they're nervous about what's next.
Since 1981, Tougas Family Farm in Northboro has grown fruits for neighbors in Massachusetts.
"Strawberries, blueberries, sweet and tart cherries, peaches, nectarines," said Andre Tougas. He said another busy season is on its way and he's been pruning peach and apple trees to prepare. "The main goal of pruning is to invigorate the tree to make new wood."
An entire crop gone
But for the next couple of months, he'll be holding his breath after last season's crop was killed by bad weather.
"One night it dropped from 54 to -14 degrees and that was enough," said Tougas. "If you get too much warm weather followed by a real decrease in temperature, that's when you can have problems. There's only one shot a season for a crop."
The farm lost more than $100,000, damages they're hoping to avoid this year but it's out of their control.
"We live and die by the weather," said Tougas.
The agriculture industry in Massachusetts is concerned the weather whiplash may mean trouble for the season. According to the WBZ Next Weather Team, this winter will likely finish among the top 10 warmest winters ever recorded, with February finishing three to four degrees hotter than average. In fact, just this week, temperatures reached into the 50s.
But here's the problem - less than 24 hours after the mild weather, temps plummeted down into the 20s and some places even got snow.
"It makes you wonder what the near future is going to be," said Warren Shaw, the president of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau.
Impact is far-reaching
"Although the most impactful is the people on the farm that lose their crop and lose their livelihood, they're not bringing the crop to market," said Shaw. "They talk about food insecurity and some of it is born of weather."
Shaw, a dairy farmer himself, has been touting the Massachusetts legislature to support farmers. But the industry is still losing millions each year, putting businesses and families at risk.
"We'd all be happy with consistency in part of the weather," said Shaw. He said the solution is to visit local farms during the height of the season for fresh food and some fun.
