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Dry Weather Impacts Crops and Wallets

For the month of July, rainfall is under normal by almost one and a half inches. Farmers, like Sharon Apple are feeling the impacts.

07/15/18 — GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WFMY)-- Sunday marks the 9th day without any measurable rain out at PTI.

For the month, we're under normal by almost one and a half inches. Farmers, like Sharon Apple are feeling the impacts.

Her family has a u-pick blueberry farm. The recent lack of rain is drying up their crop and wallet.

"It costs us to irrigate about $300 a night. So our buckets, by the time we pick or we have individuals pick, that's a lot of buckets to pay for a night of irrigation which really is not even still enough water to do good for what we need," says Apple.

Not enough water means their blueberries are much smaller this season. At the farmers market, there's less beans available to buy and sell.

"We could easily do 20 to 30 cases of pole beans a week or half runners and we're getting about half that," says David Phillips who runs the farmers market stand for Houser Farms.

Even those who grow crops on a smaller scale are feeling the impact.

Don Sutts, a shopper at the farmers market says, "our garden is basically burnt up from no rain. Seems the rain has just gone around, what little rain we've had has gone around. Tomatoes are dying. They're about yay big around and they're just drying up. The beans are not making anything at all."

There's less fruits and veggies and more of a financial burden for those who enjoy them.

As for Apple, she hasn't made a profit on her blueberries this year, but is trying not to get too sour waiting for rain.

"It's hard, it's disappointing. This is a family farm and you know we're trying to keep it, but I mean it's struggling, it's struggling," says Apple.

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