Summer drought concerns farmers about fall recreation

BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL)—For many, fall is recognized by corn mazes and pumpkin patches. However, the summer droughts have many farms concerned about their fall activities.

Throughout the summer months, the Tri-Cities experienced a series of droughts, which concerned local farmers preparing for the fall.

“With the corn maze and the sunflowers, we knew that it was not going to be great,” said Sabrina Fleenor, co-owner of Fleenor Farms in Bristol, Virginia. “We noticed it very early on, but June was not great. July was horrible.”

For Fleenor Farms, the drought was concerning for their corn maze and their livestock.

“We were mainly worried about how it was going to affect our livestock production because of the grass, the forage,” said Fleenor.

Like Fleenor Farms, Fender’s Farm in Jonesborough noticed the drought early on but found a way to combat the lack of rain.

“Anytime you have a drought, your crops aren’t going to be what they need to be,” said Carroll Fender, owner of Fender Farms. “However, a lot of people in this area have drip irrigation.”

Both farms said they were thankful to see the rain pick back up.

“It only takes just a little bit of rain and sun for everything to balance out,” said Fleenor. “That second week in August when we started to see an ample amount of rain, we knew that once things started to green up, we knew everything was going to be okay.”

“To be honest with you,” said Fender. “I’m really surprised at how good our Field of Screams and our regular maze corn is.”

Fleenor’s Farm plans to open for fall activities on the first Saturday in October. Fender’s Farm will open to the public on September 21.

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