HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Weather Authority is tracking the second wettest May on record, with 10.88 inches of rain so far for the month.
All of that rain has saturated the ground in the region.
Thursday evening, News 19 spoke with several farmers at the Greene Street Market in Huntsville. Many said that the substantial rains have had an impact on their crops.
Josh Sharp of Sharp Farms in Priceville said, “It was a rough year for strawberries with all the rain.”
He explained that excess moisture on the berries led to disease.
“All kind of diseases comes from rain, and too much of it will just cause the plants to wilt and die and cause them to get bacterial and that kind of infection,” Sharp said.
He said they had to throw out around 200 to 300 gallons of strawberries this year. However, thankfully, his strawberry crop wasn’t a total loss.
“They did make a lot, and we were able to sell a lot and make money still, but we did throw a lot away,” Sharp said.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System said that too much rain can cause damage to crops.
“When we get too much rain, we’re going to have a hard season in terms of diseases on our plants,” said Horticulture Extension Agent Holt Akers-Campbell.
“When the leaves stay wet, that invites a lot of those fungal diseases to take hold,” Akers-Campbell said.
He said other crops could also see a negative impact.
“We’re looking at some challenges with blackberries and peaches and other crops right now,” Akers-Campbell said.
However, overall, a lot of the fresh fruits and veggies at the Greene Street Market looked in good condition.
Sharp had a whole table of zucchini, potatoes, squash, onions and more ready to sell.
“This stuff, it doesn’t hurt it near as bad, and it’s actually beneficial for a lot of things to have substantial rain,” Sharp said.
He said farming is all about adapting to whatever is thrown your way.
“Farming is one of those things where you just roll with the punches and you have to take, you know, what the good lord gives you,” Sharp said.
The Greene Street Market is every Thursday, May through October, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine.
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