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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) - It's been a tough season for many farmers around Massachusetts. Despite being hundreds of miles away from Hurricane Ida, local farms took a major hit, and the storm's aftermath is still being felt.
The rainy summer coupled with hurricane remnants to flood over crops. At Allendale Farm, on the border of Jamaica Plain and Brookline, some vegetables were fully underwater after Ida hit.
"You could look through water and see the tops of lettuces. We still have some standing water in our field," said Allendale Farm CEO Helen Glasser.
Glasser says they lost a good portion of their crops because of the flooding, and many other Bay State farms are in the same boat.
"Tomatoes are over and have been for a week; we regularly have them into October," Glasser said. "Peppers, eggplants, probably done for the year. They're just so wet. They've stopped flowering and fruiting."
Allendale Farms is one of the many agriculture operations that has diversified its offerings over the years, branching into so-called agritourism. Because of that, Glasser says they're keeping their heads above water. But the extent of the damage is still unclear as harvest season continues.
"It remains to be seen how much of a percentage loss we'll have, but I can tell you it will be significant and measurable," Glasser said.
She and farmers state-wide are hoping for a warm, dry fall to help salvage the rest of the season.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports:
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