Killen farm closes for the season due to drought; scheduled to be back open in coming weeks

KILLEN, Ala. (WHNT) — Hines Family Farms in Killen is a well-known spot for Shoals residents to come and get their produce. The farm recently closed earlier than expected due to the recent drought.

Dried up fields, empty parking lots and closed signs posted on the doors. Hines Family Farm in Killen had to close for the season due to weather conditions.

Amy Hines and her husband, Brandon, own the farm and have been farming for the last nine years.

“Squash, the neck of the squash would soften up, tomatoes would bust on the vines and get bad sunburn, it was a different heat this year, the crucial heat really hurt our plants,” Hine said.

Donnie Benefield stops by on a regular basis to get his fix on the fresh produce Hines Farms has.

“It’s been so hot and dry this summer, my garden is just burnt up, so I rely on these guys to come get what I can’t at home,” Benefield said.

Hines says in the nine years of farming, she has never had to close early.

“We normally stay open until at least the end of September and in the past years we have dome a pumpkin patch, we aren’t doing that this year, because of the weather and heat affecting that” Hines said.

Hines told me about some of the other crops that didn’t make it.

“Okra, zucchini, cucumber, our spring crops didn’t make it either,” Hines said, “We are well known for our strawberries but we only sold what we could”.

Benefield says he is sad to see the farm closed early.

“I want some okra, we just always count on them ya know,” Benfield said.

Hines says if the weather can stay in the 70s and 80s with some frequent rain, it will help their fall crops.

The farm is scheduled to open back up the first weekend in October and hopefully, their fall crops will be ready to go.

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