Farmers and growers say tough decisions could be ahead if drought doesn't improve

The recent rainfall has been a real boon for farmers and growers in the area, but they say they will be feeling the impacts of the ongoing drought and extreme heat this summer both in the short-term and long-term future.

Months of dry conditions and recent heat waves have caused issues for growers. Drop by the State Farmers Market in Raleigh and they'll tell you the past couple of months have been a challenge.

Growers said July has been a slow month for them so far. In fact, they said business has been a lot slower this summer compared to previous ones.

Customers have told them they've cut back on buying plants because of water restrictions. On top of that, the recent waves of extreme heat have had an impact on crop size. Farmers said the heat has led to some smaller crops this season.

Grower John Harmuth said flower sales have also been affected by the hot and dry conditions.

"We just have enough water to grow what we normally grow. We didn't expand any more this year. Our cut flower business we cut back on because that was grown in the field, and we can't really water them in the 100-degree weather. So we cut back on that," Harmuth said.

Many farmers have still been able to grow crops without having to scale back because many have their own wells and irrigation systems. However, they might have to make some difficult decisions with their next batch of crops.

"We're getting to the point where having to manage how much irrigation we use to try to make sure we have enough water to like establish a strawberry crop for this fall, and that kind of thing. Some some things might end up being abandoned if it keeps going as hot and dry as it's been."

Farmers we spoke with said they are hopeful they'll see more rain so the conditions do not affect their fall crops like pumpkins and corn.