Farmers take drastic measures to save crops following record-setting storms: 'Never experienced a year like this'
Nearly three feet of rain flooded Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, submerging and rotting potatoes at Country Barn Farm Market.
What's happening?
WNEP reported that 2025 has been a tough growing season in Lancaster County. After a dry 2024, this year brought over three feet of rain in just a few months — more than double the usual May to September average.
"Never experienced a year like this where it has rained, rained, and rained," Jim Stauffer said. To limit a 10% crop loss, Stauffer launched a food trailer, selling fresh-cut fries and baked potatoes directly to customers.
With heat waves setting in, even healthy crops are struggling. Stauffer's farm isn't alone. Farmers around the world are facing similar extremes. China has endured heat waves and floods, while Puerto Rico's coffee harvests have become less consistent because of changing rain patterns.
Why is this worth discussing?
Extreme weather conditions can affect food supply chains and income sources. For instance, persistent heat may reduce the number of days for planting, prolong the growing season, and make crops more susceptible to diseases and pests.
According to Carbon Brief, in 2023 and 2024, more than 100 extreme weather events disrupted harvests worldwide, including a six-month drought that wiped out Cambodia's Kampot pepper crop and cut off a key income source for farmers.
These weather extremes, fueled by heat-trapping pollution, carry widespread economic and social consequences. When supply drops, prices rise. In China, back-to-back disasters last year pushed produce prices up nearly 40%.
What's being done about it?
Farmers are finding creative ways to stay afloat. Stauffer's food trailer is one way local producers are adapting.
At a national level, the Environmental Protection Agency shared that the Department of Agriculture promotes practices such as crop rotation and integrated pest management to support long-term stability. Still, these measures may fall short. NASA research warns that, without significant changes, extreme heat could make parts of the world unlivable in 30 to 50 years.
These shifts point to a larger need: further exploration of environmental challenges, more consistent discussion of pollution's impact, stronger local initiatives, and more effective pro-planet policies.
Some communities have launched efforts to improve land use and disaster readiness, while national strategies including crop insurance reform and soil health programs gain momentum.
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