Central Pa. farmers ‘keeping faith’ during heatwave

(WTAJ) — With recent heatwaves throughout Central Pennsylvania, farmers are taking a hit this growing season.

According to the National Integrated Drought Information System , Somerset, Bedford and the southern regions of Blair and Huntingdon Counties are experiencing moderate or severe drought and other counties in the area are experiencing abnormal dryness.

“You can’t really do much except pray for rain,” Huntingdon County farmer Earl Lake said.

Even if the rain were to come, farmers said that they are not going to be able to produce their crops fully and aren’t sure how much they will be able to save.

“Well, its definitely hurt our yield already. I’m saying 50 percent if we are lucky,” Lake said.

Farmers in Cambria County battled the weather since they started planting at the beginning of the season and dry weather has caused some farmers to have to replant their crops.

“My grandfather always said and its really true, there’s no two growing seasons that are exactly alike. And this year it was the same case. We had a wet planting season so a lot of farmers had to replant corn, replant soy beans because they drowned it out, we had oats drowned out. And then the reverse happened and the rain shut off,” said Cambria County Farm Bureau President Marty Yahner.

Although Lake isn’t sure how much he will be able to save, he is confident that this year won’t be a complete crop failure.

“An elderly gentleman I used to talk to quite a bit, and that was when I was at a young age and fussing about the weather. He said let me tell you something earl, I’ve been farming for 50 years and I’ve never seen a complete crop failure,” Lake said.

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Both Yahner and Lake expressed that there isn’t a lot they can do for their crops except hope and pray for rain.

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