By Rick Green

Copyright keenesentinel

Although most of the state is in a drought, New Hampshire has received an average amount of precipitation so far this year.

It’s just that most of the rain fell in the spring, followed by months of dryness, and that’s a problem for farmers.

Carl Majewski, a Keene-based specialist with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, provided an analogy to explain how averages don’t tell the whole story.

“I remember one of my college professors saying you have to be careful about averages because you could have your head in the oven and your feet in the freezer and your belly button would be a perfect 98.6,” he said.

The hay crop has taken a hit this year because of the unusual weather.

“Between the really wet weather in the spring that made fields too wet to get on, and the right after that turning to dry, it’s been a really difficult year, and lately the yields have been just a fraction of what they ought to be,” Majewski said.

Adam Taylor, owner of Alyson’s Orchard in Walpole, said he has seen this play out in his 13 acres of vegetable gardens.

“The gardens came on really good. We had the initial plant come up, but once the fruit or vegetable started to grow on the plant, there was no water there to continue providing for that plant. So the plants came in nice and strong but they very quickly tapered off with no water.”

Despite all that, he said the farm, which has more than 50 acres of fruit-bearing trees, still is able to offer plenty of pick-your-own opportunities. He is looking forward to a good fall season, with pumpkins and other gourds available to the public.

Like many farmers, Taylor is trying to be proactive in terms of making his operation resilient to the varying weather conditions that have become the new normal in this era of climate change.

For example, he plans to put in an improved irrigation system for his vegetables and increase his use of tunnels to provide a protected environment for crops.

Renuka Mathur, a UNH Extension specialist in soil health, said drought can lead to smaller fruit, reduced yields and lower quality.

She recommends efficient irrigation and improving soil by adding organic matter. Other best practices include protecting fields through the use of cover crops and reduced-tillage practices.

She also said mulch will help soil retain moisture and over-fertilization is to be avoided.

Mathur said farmers need to expect more severe weather.

“The drought, and the flooding that we had, and the frost damage that we had a couple of years ago — these types of events are happening in much faster periods than they ever had before,” she said. “This is a result of climate change.”

As the climate warms, there are more frost free days in New Hampshire, she said.

According to the National Weather Service, the last day of frost in Concord in 2000 was May 20 and the first day of frost that year was on Sept. 28. The last day of frost this year was April 21 and the first day of frost last year was Oct. 15.

As of Monday, the National Weather Service’s official monitoring station in Concord had recorded 28.81 inches of rain as of Monday, which is just below the average year-to-date total of 29.21 inches. In the first six months of this year, 23.82 inches of rain fell, including 8.73 inches in May.

The vast majority of the state is experiencing a drought, but there may be the start of a change on the horizon. Showers are predicted in many parts of the state over the next several days.