WEXFORD, Pa. — The signs of drought are all around us. Now, we are seeing how this could impact their fall season.
Soergel Orchards in Wexford is experiencing the impacts of the drought, but their other farmland in Prospect, near Butler County, is experiencing even more severe conditions.
Adam Voll, who works with Seorgel Orchards, said, “This year it seems to be pretty widespread. There’s no rain that’s been falling on any of our farms really.”
Because of the lack of rain, pumpkins will be smaller, apples will be fewer, and dirt and dust will be flying on the hay rides.
The good news is that although the yield for apples is down this year, the quality is up. Because moisture breeds disease, the plants without rain have been dry.
Adam Voll said his specialty is the apple orchard. He says they’ll have to offer fewer ‘pick your own apple’ times due to the yield. But with the help of sprinklers and hand watering, they will still be able to host over 3,000 visitors for each of their seven fall weekends. Still, you’ll be able to see the impact clearly.
Voll said the grass is not typically this dry. “No, this is extreme. The one thing about it is, if the grass is going dormant now, it’s not using any of the moisture that maybe the trees could use,” said Voll.
And because of that, some trees will be a total loss this season.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a plot of good permanent irrigation in the ground because we don’t typically need it. Mother nature usually does that for me,” said Voll.
And with the drought impacting local farms, remember when visiting Seorgels or another fall festival, treat the crops and the employees with care. They have less of their crops this year so every single pumpkin, apple or flower that is picked matters to their business.
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