Is the Warm Weather Impacting Farmers?

By: Bill Pearson
By: Bill Pearson

Another day of warm sunny weather was on tap Tuesday, and that's good news for some local farmers. The warm weather this January should have a good impact on many local crops.

Back in December the first cold snap of the season moved through our region, and that had peach growers smiling, but a new year brought about new, warm temperatures; bad news for peach growers, but real good news for vegetable farmers.

Kevin Coggins, a vegetable farmer, says, "It's actually pretty good for us, we're able to see the crops grow faster. If it got up into the 80s we could have some problems with disease, but right now it’s pretty good."

The increase in temperature also means an increase in the speed of the farming process.

Coggins adds, "It’s gonna’ cause stuff to speed up a little bit more. We're gonna have to harvest faster than we planned on."

Local farmers say all the warm weather being poured out onto the carrot fields has them very hopeful that the carrots will go to market and help yield a great return this season.

Coggins says, "It could help when the crop has less time in the field, which means less money spent on fertilizer, less spray, but it can hurt us financially because it causes crops to bunch up and you have more product than you actually need."

The warm weather does present some challenges, but in the long run should help benefit most of the region's vegetable growers.

Farmers say they like the mild winter weather, but they are concerned another cold snap could move through, which could cause serious plant damage.

WCTV 1801 Halstead Blvd. Tallahassee, FL 32309