Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

CNY Drought Could Hurt Farmers if There's No Relief Soon

plattecanyon.org

  One look outside at a grassy area will tell you it’s been quite dry for the past month or so.  What does that mean for forests and some of the insects that live there?  First, Dr. Rene Germain wants to make an important distinction.  He's a professor at SUNY ESF's Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management.

" We're in what we call this temporary meteorological drought."

That’s not to be confused with a hydraulic drought, like they’ve had out west for the past decade or so.  Rainfall recorded at Hancock airport was just shy of 2 inches in June; normal is about 3.3 inches.  Germain says the impact on upstate forests so far is negligible.

"That's a water rich system," Germain said. "Most trees and plants in a Forrest are anywhere from 60 - 70/80 percent water.  They have ways of retaining their water when it gets dry like this."

So, he’s not too concerned.  But he can understand why some homeowners might be worrying about their trees and shrubs. 

"Any tree that's in a city system or a suburban system is going to be under stress because they are in an exposed area, there could be some soil issues and concrete issues," Germain said.  "Any tree or shrub that is going through this drought is going to need some extra water, maybe some extra fertilization."

Germain says he’s putting some extra water on some Alberta Spruce against his house that he knows are stressed from the lack of rain.  But Kim Adams knows one population that likely has barely noticed the dry spell.  She’s an extension entomologist at SUNY ESF. 

" Yeah we are a little dry, but insects are generally marvelously adapted for survival."

Credit CDC.gov
Less standing water available from the drought has led to a decrease in the mosquito population.

If you remember your high school biology, Adams says insects have an amazing exoskeleton that’s designed to protect their insides from desiccation or drying out.

"They are skeletally adapted to preserve water. They get most of their water from their food."

Adams corroborates her colleague Dr. Germain’s assessment that the insect’s food source is not threatened.  But she does say human feeders might be in a bit more peril because of the lack of standing water.

" A lot of the mosquitoes that lay their eggs in ephemeral water sources, deer flies that lay their eggs in muddy areas. I think right now a lot of us would consider that a positive impact rather than a negative impact," Adams said with a laugh.

THE IMPACT ON CROPS AND AGRICULTURE

Credit http://ian.umces.edu/
/
http://ian.umces.edu/
Withered corn from Pennsylvania, 2007

  Many Central New Yorkers might be worried about their lawns during this dry spell.  But for most farmers, their livelihoods are at stake. Only about 2 inches of rain fell in Syracuse during the month of June.  Normal is 3.3 inches.  But compare that to the nearly 10 inches of rain last June, and Cornell Extension professor Bill Cox says for corn, it’s better to be a little dry than too wet.

" This year the crop is probably in better shape because last year once you get those torrential rains and the poor drainage, you lose the Nitrogen, the development slows down and the growth slows down.  It's irrevocable damage is when there is water on the surface."

At the same time, Cox says we can’t go too much longer without significant rainfall. 

" It's absolutely zero water stored  in the soil, it's all depleted. If we don't get an 1 inch to 1.25 per week over the next 6-8 weeks the corn crop will suffer greatly, especially the grain end of it.  The field crop producers who grow corn for grain."

drought-atc_wrap_willis.mp3
Here the story from WAER's Scott Willis

Cox says we’re clearly seeing some climate variation.

 "Until somebody can predict that this is going to happen for this specific growing season, it is very hard to manage for a specific year. For the long term, you can say 4 out of 5 or 3 out of 5 years this is going to happen.  But year to year, it can be so difficult."

Cox says soybeans could also suffer, but wheat should be fine.  He worries that possible low corn yields combined with another year of low prices could put a lot of stress on New York farmers.  

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.