Drought impact on Vermont agriculture

AccuWeather

Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux appeared on AccuWeather Early to share insights into how both long-term and flash droughts are impacting Vermont's agricultural landscape.

Transcript

00:00Vermont is dealing with both a long-term drought and a flash drought.

00:04What does that mean for dairy farmers and their cows this season?

00:09So what it means for dairy farmers is that there are a number of challenges going on,

00:15including the quality of the hay, including the fact that they haven't been able to get second cuts and third cuts of hay coming in,

00:24which means that some farmers are actually dipping into their winter supplies.

00:29There's also water shortages on the ponds and the water resources that are available on farms themselves.

00:36And so there are challenges in terms of actually getting that water that's needed for a day-to-day farming activity.

00:43And then the other thing that we're seeing, too, is that from an organic farming perspective,

00:48we're running up against challenges with the number of days that the cattle and the cows need to be out on pasture grazing

00:56in order to maintain that organic certification.

00:59So there are a number of these compounding factors that we're looking at.

01:03And beyond dairy, there's also other ways that the drought is affecting the state,

01:07including apple growers and hay pasture production that you kind of hit on that.

01:12But I guess the apple growers, they're still impacted.

01:14That's true, Melissa.

01:17And I think for the apple growers, it was interesting because we had a really wet spring

01:22and then we went into this flash drought, as you said.

01:25And so that has really impacted the apple growers and the quality of the fruit that's growing right now

01:32to the extent that we probably won't make our yields.

01:35And that's concerning because even the largest apple production unit here in the state is being severely affected.

01:43What are you most concerned about for Vermont farmers if the drought continues?

01:51So, Bernie, that's a great question.

01:53I think it has to do with the immediate impacts.

01:56It has to do with medium rain.

01:58So getting into the winter, it has to do with what's going to happen or what could happen next year in 2026.

02:04And because the drought is both short-term and long-term,

02:08and we're concerned about water supplies, both at the surface but also in the groundwater supplies,

02:14we're also concerned about the impact on the soils and the soil quality

02:19and the fact that there is like between 0% and 2% total of moisture in the soils right now.

02:26What does that mean as we go through the winter?

02:28Knowing that we are in September, which is the driest month of the year,

02:33historically for Vermont, how is that going to shape out and will the soils be replenished in time for next year's growing?

02:41Now, as a state climatologist, what is most important for people to understand about drought

02:45and how it affects communities plus agriculture?

02:48So another great question, Melissa, and I think people don't always appreciate that drought can occur anywhere,

02:56any type of climate, including humid climates like Vermont, and no two droughts are the same.

03:01So I've been here for 29 years, and this is about the 10th drought that I've lived through,

03:05and each one has been slightly different, which means that we have to keep on our toes

03:10with understanding how the droughts are evolving and where they are and how they're shaping

03:14and how severe they are, who's affected, and the fact that we're not out of the woods yet.

03:20And so in the Northeast Kingdom, which is the Northeastern part of the state,

03:24and along the Kinetic Valley, which the two places that are particularly affected in this drought here,

03:30it's not the same as in past droughts.

03:32And so we need to make sure that the word gets out, that everybody appreciates how severe

03:37and how historic this drought is, so that we can take the preparatory actions now, but also in the future.

03:43And you had mentioned something, doctor, that you've gone through 10 droughts.

03:47Is this the worst that you've seen?

03:50So, Bernie, that's an interesting question, because the characteristics of this drought are different.

03:57And so the timing was different, the way it played out was different,

04:02the fact that we had a flash drought in addition to a long-term drought is different.

04:08So it's kind of hard to compare across the board.

04:11And that's why, forensically, when I look back on this in a few months' time,

04:15that's when I'll be able to say, was it because we had a drought that started in June, July,

04:21versus starting in May, for example, or one that starts in January?

04:25What is it that is about this drought that makes it so unique?

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