A dry season has farmers doubting their next move in the area.
Berks County is in under a drought watch, and part of Montgomery and Chester counties are also struggling with a warm, dry spring.
“The ground is very dry. Our sweet corn is yearning for rain,” said Chris Fry, an owner of the Farmer’s Daughter Farm Market in Spring City. “We have watered our asparagus since we grow it right in the store. It’s the first time in probably eight years that we’ve had to water it, but asparagus thrives on moisture.”
According to National Weather Service data, much of Montgomery and Berks counties and the northern section of Chester County have received between 2 and 4 inches of rain over the last 60 days. The normal rainfall for that period is between 6 and 10 inches.
According to the Pennsylvania DEP, there are four factors that go into determining drought status: precipitation, surface water, groundwater and ground moisture.
Berks County is deficient in all categories except ground moisture. Chester County is low on surface water and groundwater while Montgomery is deficient in precipitation and surface water.
“It has just been so very hot and dry. This is very, very untypical weather,” Fry said. “A lot of the shrubs you see blooming right now, you wouldn’t see blooming until the end of June, but because it’s so hot, they are already blooming.”
Even with some showers and thunderstorms throughout the region, Lance Frank, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said they’re not much help.
“One area may see next to no rainfall, another area may see up to an inch,” Frank said. “In order to relieve drought conditions we need the widespread rain.”
The United States Drought Monitor website classifies most of Berks and part of Montgomery and Chester counties as being in a moderate drought. The rest of the area is classified as abnormally dry.
Fry said she thinks another two weeks without significant rain will seriously impact her crops.
“I mean, we need a good two-day soaker is what we need. We were planting perennial flower beds yesterday,” she said in an interview last week. “You turn that dirt over and it’s just dust underneath.”
The DEP stated that a drought watch calls for a voluntary 5 percent reduction in water use from residents. The department put together tips on conserving water, including running water only when absolutely necessary; checking for household leaks; running dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads; replacing older appliances with high-efficiency models and installing low-flow plumbing fixtures.
“I recommend taking those measures any time regardless of droughts,” said Amanda Witman, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania DEP. “They are simple common sense ways to reduce water consumption around your home and why wouldn’t you want to? It saves you money and it’s better for the environment.”
For those looking for a silver lining to the lack of rain clouds, Fry said at least one of her crops is enjoying the dry heat.
“Strawberries love the dry heat, so strawberries have fantastic flavor right now.”
