'I'd Be Using 10 Times More Water If I Had It': Drought Hurts RI Farms

LITTLE COMPTON, RI — Rhode Island has had some rain over the last week, but that hasn't yet put a stop to the statewide drought.

As of Wednesday, the U.S. Drought Monitor has all of Rhode Island designated as under "extreme drought conditions." That lack of consistent rain is putting a strain on local farmers' abilities to grow food and make a living.

For Skinny Dip Farm in Little Compton and Westport, Massachusetts, tilling farmland with a tractor has become impossible. Hannah Wolbach, who co-owns the farms with her husband Ben, said many of her acres look more like a "dust bowl" now than a place to grow carrots, beets or cucumbers.

"It's decreasing yields of stuff," Wolbach said. "Some crops are just straight up crop failure, while some are not as bountiful."

"On our Little Compton property, we just don't have enough water to irrigate as much as we should," Wolbach added. "I would be using 10 times as much water if I had it."

The drought has also created competition for water, not from other farmers, but deer and other wildlife, Wolbach said. Wolbach said deer aren't just eating her crops for food, but also need the water inside the vegetables.

"We had a really bad cucumber year this year, because the deer eat them," Wolbach said. "Deer are always a challenge, but they've been worse this year."

Vegetable farms are also not the only ones suffering amid the drought. Dairy farms like Sweet and Salty Farm in Little Compton are hurting because its 30 cows are not getting as much grass to eat.

"Without the rain, the grass is really not growing the way you'd expect," co-owner Laura Haverland said. "Some of the pastures where cows graze the grass shorter are experiencing little to no growth."

To offset the challenge, Haverland said she's needed to buy hay to supplement about 15 percent of her cows' diets.

Haverland said milk production is greatly affected by a cow's diet. With less grass in the diet, the farm has been forced to make smaller batches of cheese, she said.

Haverland said she's also worried about the cows getting enough water to drink amid the drought. Sweet and Salty Farm has two wells, and so far Haverland said the farm is getting by OK.

"Our wells have kept up to date, but it's a worry point," she said. "Cows drink a lot each day, especially when it's hot. It's kind of a stressful time thinking about it."

"Even in Providence, there's been so much more rain than where we are in Little Compton," Haverland added. "We've gotten so much less."