River Berry Farm sits along the Lamoille River. Nate Mercer, site manager at the Fairfax farm said the river rose high enough overnight to flood the farm’s fields closest to the banks. It is expected to keep rising throughout the day. That is why Mercer is harvesting as much lettuce as is humanly possible. The farm has already lost plantings of lettuce, zucchini, summer squash, peppers, fennel and cabbage.
Mercer said, looking out toward the river: “It’s gonna take out pretty much everything. Most of the farm’s gonna be underwater.”
Connecticut flood waters rise
The Connecticut River is still rising. The river was at 114.7 feet above sea level Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. That’s about where it was expected to crest. It is estimated that heavy rains across Western Massachusetts, Vermont, eastern Pennsylvania through northwest New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley of southern New York north of New York City, northwestern Connecticut, have caused $3 billion to $5 billion in damage in rural communities in hardest hit areas.
This weekend’s flood is also the third weather disaster to hit local growers. In February, a deep freeze destroyed delicate peach buds before they could blossom, meaning no peaches this year for much of the Northeast. In May, another freeze struck blueberry and strawberry buds.
Source: masslive.com
