It’s been 10 years but Goodrich farmer Steve Spratt says the prices on his produce may increase following some record low temperatures.
‘This has not been weather to grow vegetables in,? said Spratt, owner of Spratt Farms, 11418 Hill Road, Goodrich. ‘Take it as it comes and expect higher prices.?
Spratt is just one of many area produce farmers that have endured a roller-coaster of growing season weather conditions ranging from too cold, too hot, way too wet and then down-right desert like.
Heavy May rains, cool nighttime temperatures, and the current lack of rain have all but turned his crops into fertilizer said Spratt.
Due to the inconsistent weather patterns Spratt says his corn yield has been cut in half and what corn there is may not mature’perhaps even a total loss.
Both corn and tomatoes require a consistent minimum night time temperature of at least 60 degrees to mature.
‘Corn really takes hot nights, so the corn is real slow and now getting it to mature is the problem’it needs more rain,? he said.
Cucumbers which are normally $8 a bushel at farm markets are currently selling for an average of $26 a bushel.
‘Its been a bad year, this tops it. I’ve held prices down for the last 10 years but it’s starting to get out of hand. People want to can tomatoes and it will be late.?
Colder than normal temperatures have, however, contributed to bumper crops of lettuce, yet Spratt warns consumers should expect higher produce prices and to hope for a better growing season next year.
Meteorologist David Shuler of the National Weather Service, in White Lake, Mich. said that persistent upper level air flow patterns are responsible for a 63 year record low temperatures in August.
‘Flint takes first place for an all time average coldest average for the month of August since 1942,? Shuler said. ‘And Detroit is in the top 10 average lows.?
‘The coldest on record is very significant,? he said. ‘Quite an astounding record,? adding that to date precipitation is also well below normal for August.
Normal average rainfall for August is 3.4 inches, yet to date the Flint-Detroit area has had 1.8 inches.
Because of the lack of rain and heat, Groveland Township farmer Nick Nichols, Dixie Highway and Grange Hall Road said by the time his tomatoes ripen consumers will be in the mood for cider and doughnuts.
‘The only thing growing right now is weeds and zucchini and the pumpkins are taking off by the gazillions,? said Nichols.
‘People are just not in the mood to can tomatoes the second week of September.?
Should the weather warm up long enough, Nichols said everything will ripen at once and the bottom will drop out of the produce market.
‘There will not be room for it all,? said Nichols. You just don’t recover from it-it’s a gamble and you just ride it out because you can’t cry over it.?
While local farmers continue to struggle with unresponsive crops, Sharon Ashton of Ashton Orchards, 3925 Seymour Lake Road in Brandon Township said several varieties of apples, including Paula Reds along with Red Haven and Jim Dandy peaches have not been effected by the cool summer and are ready for picking.
‘Red Havens are on the tail end of being ripened and Paula Reds are ripe because they are an early apple,? said Ashton.
Ashton added that while they only grow enough produce to sell locally, only their lettuce and bean crops have been affected by the unusual growing season because of too much rain in the spring.
Betty Beers, produce manager of Bueche’s Food World in Groveland Township says Michigan sweet corn is hitting the shelves two weeks late, and tomatoes are smaller because of the short lived season.
Beers also warns that consumers can expect lower availability of lettuce and oranges because of unseasonably wet weather during the growing season nation wide.