NEW RINGGOLD — After weeks of unrelenting rain and waterlogged fields, farmers across the region are eyeing a stretch of hot, dry weather as a long-awaited turning point. But, it comes with new risks.
Area farmers say a record-wet spring has already affected planting and threatened crops with fungus. They now face a sudden heat wave with temperatures across Northeast Pennsylvania forecast to soar into the 90s.
The current crop of strawberries has been impacted by the constant rain. Heim’s Farm Market on Route 443 near Mckeansburg, has been a source of fresh fruit and vegetables for the past 97 years. John Heim is a third-generation farmer who has worked the fields since he was a kid growing up on his grandfather’s farm. Johnathan B. Paroby / contributing photographer
Farmers are recovering from a soggy start to the growing season with local fields saturated after record spring rainfall. They’re staking hopes on a stretch of sunny weather.
Fungus is the foe
Unrelenting rain has left fields waterlogged and farm equipment stuck in the mud. According to National Weather Service data, the region has recorded above-average rainfall since mid-May, complicating crop schedules, increasing the chances of losing certain fruits to fungus.
“I was picking berries for three hours this morning,” said third-generation farmer John Heim, whose family has run a 75-acre farm and market stand in New Ringgold. “All this rain can cause the flavor of the berries to water down. Strawberries need a lot of sunshine. A lot of it.”
While he has a good offering of strawberries at his market stand, Heim, who grows a mix of berries, sweet corn, apples, and other crops says the growing season is off to a slower start than usual.
“We planted sweet corn back in April and are working that now to be ready hopefully in July,” he said. “The apples look pretty good, but it’s a fight with fungus. Especially the fruit down low — it stays damp, and that just feeds the problem. A good windy day would help that, even if it’s cloudy.”
Bantam Acres Farm in Tamaqua uses greenhouses to grow some crops. Owners Adam and April Frey have grown chemical-free produce and run a sourdough bakery since 2023.
Johnathan B. Paroby / contributing photographer
Haymaking — a critical task for livestock farmers — is also slow to get going.
“You can’t make hay if the sun doesn’t shine,” Heim said. “It takes three days in the field to dry, and we haven’t had that. I really haven’t seen anyone cut hay yet. You’d tear the field up just trying to get across.”
First-generation growers diversify
While longtime farmers are struggling to keep ahead of the wet season, first-generation growers like Adam and April Frey, owners of Bantam Acres Farm in Tamaqua, say adaptability and diversity have helped keep them afloat.
“The whole spring has been cool and wet with a lack of sun,” Frey said. “Some things are showing signs of stress, but because we don’t use big tractors, we can still get into the fields when it’s wet.”
Frey and his wife, April, started their chemical-free produce farm and sourdough bread bakery in the mountainside outside Tamaqua in 2023. Without taking out loans or relying on crop insurance, they’ve leaned on their business model as a buffer against uncertainty.
“Our form of insurance is having a diversified operation. Lots of crop types, bread and sourdough-baked goods — and a farm stand that carries a range of products from other like-minded local farmers,” Frey said.
Third-generation optimism
Relief could be on the way, as the weather has turned dry and hot, plunging the region into a heat wave.
“With this kind of weather, it’s hard to get anything done in the field,” Heim said. “They say maybe this weekend we’re gonna get some of that good weather, but you’re gonna leave tracks if you’re not careful.”
The Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market opens Thursday and will operate every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 13 on Public Square. (The Citizens’ Voice file)
Despite the setbacks, Heim remains optimistic — and deeply rooted.
“I’ve been working these fields since I was about 6,” he said. “My grandfather started this 97 years ago. I’m the third generation, and my son helps me out a lot, too. This is our farm, and we love doing this.”
Norah and Grayson Frey at Bantam Acres Farm in Tamaqua. The farm is owned by their parents, first-generation farmers Adam and April Frey. Since 2023, Bantam Acres has offered chemical-free produce as well as a sourdough bread bakery at 21 Reynolds Road.
Johnathan B. Paroby / contributing photographer