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  • From: Roots Farm & Karen Sutherland <rootsfarm AT cwdom.dm>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] How is it going in the Northeast ?
  • Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 08:40:44 -0400

Hi Maury,

Thanks so much for your email.  I'd love to think it was the recurrence of El Nino -- and therefore a more or less predictable factor --  that's made our weather so difficult, so different.  Last year though was also wacky with the til-then predictable wet and dry seasons way off with consequent loss of plantings.  I'll have to do some research, find out more about ENSO years, including whether last year was also one.

Meanwhile, we're hanging in, moving focus to smallish plot near house where we have access to (paid) water and concentrating on most profitable crops.  May end up being one of those crisis/opportunity  lessons that will be good for farm's survival -- dare I think profitability? -- in general.

All best wishes,

Karen


On Mar 3, 2010, at 1:02 PM, maury sheets wrote:

Karen,
 
So sorry to hear about the drought.  I hope you have some means of getting by.  You mentioned the unpredictability of the weather patterns, but they are very predictable.  I saw back in June here in south jersey when we were getting all this rain that we were probably in an ENSO year (El Nino- Southern Oscillation).  Every time there is an El Nino, we get more than average rainfalls, we also get our record snowfalls then.  I knew a big snow was coming, but I didn’t expect three of them.  All Philadelphia’s record snow falls were in El Nino years over the last 50 years.  It may be that the southern jet that is bringing us the rain (and snow) has moved above Dominica and carried the rain away from there.  This is the fourth warmest El Nino ever recorded and could be  causing these extremes even for El Nino years.  Most (not all) El Ninos only last one year, so hopefully we will dry out and you will get wet again.  Good luck and hang in there.
 
Maury Sheets
Woodland Produce
South jersey
 
 
 
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Roots Farm & Karen Sutherland
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2010 1:56 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] How is it going in the Northeast ?
 
Here in Dominica we're having the worst drought in memory.  NO rain in more than 2 months under blazing sun, cloudless skies, desiccating winds.  Heavy ashfall from Montserrat eruption still clinging to leaves, blocking photosynthesis, changing pH.   Our farm long ago ran out of water, unable to plant, transplant, losing crop after crop.  (Amazingly broccoli/radish/turnip family still produce with no water.)  Rivers other farmers count on for irrigation running dry.  Folks can't plant and can't take care of what was already planted, unless they're lucky enough to have access to and afford public water (with rationing possible/likely in near future).  Then  "regular" dry season due to start by midMarch, last through midJune.  Then hurricane season.  Oy!  Very disastrous situation here and little/no gov't. assistance or insurance and in this land of small family subsistence plus farms, most folks hardly have pockets, let alone ones deep enough to get through one more calamitous year.
 
Crisis/opportunity .... maybe ... but the recent unpredictability of weather patterns makes recognizing real opportunity challenging.
 
Best wishes to all,
 
Karen
 
Roots Farm
Organic Produce
Fruits, Roots, Vegetables & Herbs
Cockrane, DOMINICA
767-449-3038
 
 
 
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Roots Farm
Organic Produce
Fruits, Roots, Vegetables & Herbs
CockraneDOMINICA
767-449-3038




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