Serious drought conditions that have gripped Maine for months cost apple and blueberry farmers millions of dollars in crop losses according to industry leaders.
Lisa Hanscom, who co-owns Welch Farm in Roque Bluffs says rain in May and June interfered with pollinators like bees. Then a flash drought hit just as the harvest started and withered growing blueberries.
"So I ended up raking only four acres, that was all I could rake before they were no longer there," said Hanscom, who also chairs the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine.
"The bushes were already turning red, the blueberries were already falling, we ended up losing 28 acres that we could not rake," Hanscom added.
The entire wild blueberry industry suffered the same conditions, according to commission executive director Eric Venturini. The group estimates the industry lost $30 million because of the drought this year. The pain fall on farmers and processors that are have dealt with years of falling prices and soaring costs, Venturini added.
And most small producers do not carry crop insurance, which is often not well designed for their businesses, Venturini said.
Maine's apple growers faced similar problems this season, according to Sam Ricker, an owner of Ricker Hill Orchards in Turner and president of the Maine Pomological Society trade group.
Maine typically produces about 800,000 to 1 million bushels of apples a year, according to Ricker.
"This year we are kind of guessing that the whole state's down about 600,000 bushels," he said. "If you look at an average return of about $17 dollars a bushel, that's about $10 million."
In a letter this week Maine Senator Susan Collins asked U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to consider extending emergency financial relief to apple and blueberry producers and farmers that lost hay to the drought.
"Without help, Maine's wild blueberry and apple growers risk losing their acreage, and those loses will hurt rural communities across the state," Collins said.
Recent rain has dulled drought conditions across Maine, but more than 42% of the state remained in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
