2012
LOGAN
COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com October 23, 2012
28
How were the farmers markets
affected?
T
heNational Weather Service released
many statistics about the weather
for 2012, and many were not good
for the farming community in Illinois.
According to the NWS:
•
The first eight months of 2012 were the
hottest ever recorded in the continental
United States.
•
The summer period of
June through August was
the third-hottest ever, and
July 2012 was the hottest
ever recorded since record
keeping began in 1895.
•
From June 1 until the end of
August, rainfall was almost
10
inches less than in a
typical year; and from the first of the year,
the deficit was over 13 inches.
•
The drought map of Illinois showed central
Illinois almost always in the severe drought
category.
The farming community in Illinois is just
finishing the harvest of field corn and soybeans,
and yields are down significantly from previous
years.
But, those we think of as traditional farmers,
with their GPS-guided tractors and huge
combines tilling thousands of acres, are
only one part of the farming profession
affected by this year’s extreme weather.
Hundreds of farmers in Illinois have
small acreage on which they grow fruits,
vegetables, herbs and even cut flowers
for the table. Many of these farmers
outlet their wares at farmers markets,
roadside stands and through community-
supported
agriculture
programs.
There are two farmers
markets in Lincoln: one in
Scully Park and the other
in Latham Park, operating
on Wednesdays and
Saturdays from May
through October.
BryanCrump participates in theLincoln
market, as well as others in central and
northern Illinois. He sells a multitude of
vegetables from his farm near Carlock.
Irrigation was not an option for him, and
the lack of water made his vegetables
smaller.
“
My yields are down for the year, with
the heat taking the worst toll,” Crump
said.
However, due to a late-season rain,
his harvest of squash and onions was