Drought, high temperatures and limited irrigation water are reducing crop yields and increasing production costs as farmers across Southwest Colorado enter harvest season.
Federal data support what local producers are seeing in their fields. The U.S. Drought Monitor currently identifies extreme drought in Montezuma County, the third-highest category on its five-level drought scale.
Conditions are also affecting agriculture across Colorado. For the week ending Aug. 2, the U.S. Department of Agriculture rated 76% of the state’s pasture and rangeland in poor or very poor condition. The agency found that 87% of Colorado’s topsoil moisture supplies were short or very short.
CSU Extension agent Emily Lockard said local growers have faced difficult conditions throughout the year, including an early freeze, high temperatures, limited water and destructive hail.
“Everything that could throw you a curveball has been thrown,” Lockard said. “It was a challenging year for sure.”
Garlic appears to be one of the crops that performed relatively well for some. Many other crops are struggling, however, while an early freeze severely reduced apple blossoms in parts of the region.
Lockard said the loss of blossoms may have allowed drought-stressed apple trees to devote more energy to surviving instead of producing fruit. But it also means a smaller apple harvest.
Heat compounds the effects of drought by increasing the amount of water crops need. During hot and windy conditions, Lockard said hay producers and other large-acreage growers may be unable to provide enough irrigation water to keep plants growing at their normal rate.
Local water records illustrate the pressure on producers. The Dolores Water Conservancy District reported that McPhee Reservoir held approximately 47,000 acre-feet in early June. District officials said late-season inflows were approaching historically low levels.
May precipitation measured by the district was only 35% of the 30-year average. By June 10, Dolores Project full-service irrigators and Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprise had each used approximately half of their available allocations.
Recent monsoon rainfall has helped green up some grazing areas, particularly at higher elevations. But Lockard said vegetable crops require dependable water throughout the growing season, especially while producing tomatoes, peppers and other food.
“A little bit of rain here and there is great, but you need to have reliable water to really produce a good-quality product,” she said.
Reduced irrigation supplies could result in smaller yields, fewer varieties of locally grown food and a shorter selling season. Some growers may have to stop producing certain crops earlier than expected when irrigation water is no longer available.
Farmers are also contending with higher expenses for fuel, fertilizer and seasonal labor. Lockard said some producers have reduced or skipped fertilizer applications to control costs.
Labor can be especially difficult to secure for crops that require intensive work over a short harvesting period. Reduced yields can make it even more difficult for farmers to cover those labor costs.
Lockard said those pressures could result in higher prices for some locally produced food.
“I know a lot of farmers, they feel really torn about raising their prices,” she said. “But often they’re looking at their bottom line and thinking, ‘I just have to raise my prices so I can stay in business.’”
Despite the difficult season, Lockard described the region’s farmers and ranchers as resilient and committed to feeding their communities.
