August is typically a celebration of Montgomery County’s agricultural reserves. But this season, some farmers are expressing concerns about the viability of their crops amid drought conditions. Extreme weather, both excessively dry and wet, endangers crops and pasture land and can prompt water shortages or restrictions.
County Executive Marc Elrich shared one of his experiences at a farm tour in his weekly media briefing, while reaffirming the importance of Montgomery County’s crop insurance programs.
Elrich talked to a farmer who pointed out a field of corn that appeared normal, but was actually a $400,000 loss. Due to a lack of water, the corn kernels did not form properly and were too small to be considered marketable produce.
“Some people [ask], “Why do we pay farmers for crop failure?” Elrich said. “Failure of a crop has more to do with weather than anything else, so farmers wouldn’t be in the business if they had to sustain $400,000 losses—possibly more—with no kind of protection against these losses. It’s a high-risk business. Without food, we’d all be in deep trouble. So, the crop insurance program is really important for farmers in Montgomery County.”
More than 96% of Montgomery County has been placed under a drought watch by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and residents are being asked to mindfully reduce their water use.
“We’ve not seen things this dry in 20 years,” Elrich said. “We all ask residents and businesses in the county to take voluntary measures to consume water to help reduce demand.”
Montgomery County is currently experiencing periods of intense rainfall, flash flooding and severe weather alerts due to remnants of tropical depression Debby.
In a summary of conditions, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments stated that it is “hopeful” that the upcoming U.S. Drought Monitor on Aug. 13 “will show some areas of improvement, but the current version indicates that moderate, severe, and extreme drought are still present in the Potomac Basin.”
According to the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, excess rain can also have a detrimental effect on crops, so the long-term effects of recent storms and drought conditions remain to be seen.
Photo courtesy of Montgomery County, Maryland
