‘Running the risk of losing fields’: May’s monsoons leave tomato farm under water

By Jon Paepcke

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    STEELE, Alabama (WVTM) — Chad Smith and his family have owned this Steele, Alabama, tomato farm for more than half of a century.

He claims this month’s regular monsoons are damaging his livelihood.

“This May, it’s like every other day. You’re having a storm, you’re having wind, you’re having hail,” Smith said.

The impact is obvious on several of his six-week-old plants, but the constant rain presents the bigger problem right now.

Without a dry, sunny stretch of days, his crews can’t complete the jobs needed to produce a fruitful crop.

We found a handful of plants that were an example of those that could die in the soggy conditions.

If the rains keep farmers from spraying pesticides, the bugs are free to spread their crop-killing diseases.

“As you get a storm, they are so light, the wind will blow them from plant to plant, and they will pass that virus around,” Smith said.

So far in May, Steele has received more than 13 inches of rain.

That is triple what Smith and his neighboring farmers normally see during the late spring months.

We asked him if they are running the risk of losing any crops.

“You could, it, you know, it becomes a factor if it keeps raining,” Smith said.

Typically, tomato farmers invest about $12,000 in each acre.

So, losing any of those yields can add up quickly.

Smith believes his first two plantings are reaching the breaking point.

“It’s to that point to where it’s took it and it can withstand it, but it can’t take no more,” Smith said.

However, he thinks if his waterlogged fields can get a chance to dry out over the coming weeks, they can put the recent relentless rains behind them.

“We’ll stay optimistic. It’s in the good lord’s hands, and he’ll pull us through,” Smith said.

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