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Date: 7/18/2023
HADLEY — State officials and lawmakers on July 12 met with farmers impacted by flood damage in some of the low-lying areas of the Connecticut River Valley.
The contingent including state Rep. Dan Carey (D-Easthampton), state Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) and Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Commissioner Ashley Randle toured several locations to visit with farmers in other affected areas in Northampton, Hatfield and Deerfield. Gov. Maura Healey toured flooded regions and farm areas in North Adams and Williamsburg.
The town’s emergency management office issued warnings concerning the potential for high water, flooding and possible evacuations and advised they were conducting check-ins with residents in the Aqua Vitae and Honey Pot Road areas.
Local residents and farmers along Aqua Vitae Road said they’ve seen damage before with many encountering the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene in 2011.
Joe Rex’s family has farmed nearly 200 acres of property off Aqua Vitae Road since the 1920’s and he said he, his father and family members have seen their share of rains, flooding and storm damage.
Pointing across the flooded fields, Joe Rex identified his own damaged properties that border the flooded land belonging to his fellow farmers.
“I got some over there, some over there and a whole bunch down that way,” Rex said.
For his family, like many others in the fields, his damage is significant.
“For us, the best we can figure right now is about 40 to 50% of our sweet corn, also our sweet potatoes which is relatively small acreage in comparison,” he said.
Most of the farmers said they do not insure their crops because it is not cost effective. Rex did say some of his fellow farmers carry it and it works out well for them.
Rex said his family used to carry crop insurance.
“It’s very costly, we used to do it years ago and we suffered some damage in a windstorm and they said it wasn’t enough of a loss, so we said fine we’re not paying this and that’s why we stopped carrying it,” he said.
Rex said the total damage from this most recent flooding and anything still yet ahead is hard to tally.
“And you know what’s next,” offered farmer Allan Zuchowski. “The acreage that was flooded, that’s a loss and plant diseases are going to follow. With this saturation and the heat, I have been spraying around the clock anticipating plant diseases. For my farm, that’s going to be the bigger loss. Assuming it happens and I don’t see why it won’t.”
Zuchowski said his family has been farming his property for more than 120 years. Looking out over one of the flooded meadows said he doesn’t think the field would be ready to plant squash or pumpkin next season.
He said even though a lot of fields didn’t flood, the conditions caused by the seepage will trigger a lot of plant diseases.
“This water is loaded with phytophthora capisci, it’s a water mold and it’s going to be in the soil now,” he said. “Typically, it’s a five-to-seven-year rotation once you get it and it will be very risky to plant. Tomatoes, peppers you plant that down here it’s all going to rot.”
Explaining the long-term effects of the flood damage and the potential for plant diseases to the group of lawmakers and officials, was farmer Joe Czajkowski.
“The real cost hasn’t been seen yet,” he said. “You might find the cost of this flood on that field with disease showing up on another field three or four years from now.”
Czajkowski also explained what happens when the crops do not make it to the market.
“It’s hard to keep our markets when we lose a crop. The buyers from supermarkets aren’t going to have empty shelves, the product will just come from Canada and then when we have product it’s hard to get back in,” he said.
Czajkowski added that much of his farmland was underwater.
“We have about 60 acres under water,” Czajkowski said. And the NAP insurance [Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program], which farmers say stands for ‘not a penny,’ doesn’t really help that much because you have to lose more than half before you start getting any coverage at all.”
Czajkowski thanked the group for coming out to speak with them and assess the damage.
“Anything that the state could do would be helpful” he said. “Hopefully, you guys will go back and try to help us keep our farms.”
The officials tendered the potential of government assistance with farmers individually not showing strong enthusiasm for the prospect of loans and increasing debt.
Denise Barstow-Manz who works on her family’s farm said assistance on credit isn’t the answer.
“The loans are not super helpful,” she said. “We need relief.”
Carey said help needs to be found in collaboration and local support.
“What they [farmers] need,” he said, “we need to look at, these are dollar bills growing out there.”
“The last time they did that, it was like 18 months and you had to pay it back at the worst possible time,” Czajkowski said.
“Farmers have already dug their own holes and throwing them another shovel is not really going to help them get out quicker,” he added.
As for what to do next, Rex said, “You wait to see what happens, it’s all you can do.”
“We’ll see,” Zuchowski said. “At age 66, I’m not looking for a loan.”
“There’s still work to be done, gotta do it, still some things to be picked,” Rex said. “I got 10, 11 guys working for me, they need a paycheck.”