June Deluge 'Devastating' to Local Farms

Some may say it's unbearably hot outside, but for local farmers the sun and heat are more than welcome after the intense rain of late.

With nearly nine inches of rain dumped on the Bridgeport area so far this month, we are on the brink of experiencing the second wettest June in history here, according to Dan Hoffmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton, NY.

"It's definitely been really soggy," he says.

To date in June, 8.87 inches of rain have fallen in Bridgeport, the Weather Service's closest climate monitoring site. Hoffmann notes that local totals could be higher or lower, given that much of the precipitation has come from thunderstorms, which could have been more severe in certain areas.

Indeed, First Selectman Jim Zeoli estimates that Orange has had upwards of 10 to 11 inches of rain so far this month.

"It's absolutely devastating," says Zeoli, who owns Shamrock Farm on Lambert Road.

The most visible sign in town of the rain's impact was a tractor buried in mud at a local farm.

As for what above average rainfall means for the harvest, Zeoli says, "Some crops will be better, some crops will be lighter."

Shamrock is but one of several farms in Orange. The others are:

• Buttermilk Lane
• Cedar Hill
• Field View
• Grassy Hill
• Maple View
• Sunflower
• Treat