How Much Did Extreme Weather Impact Last Season for American Vegetable Growers?
July 19, 2023 When it comes to weather, a similar percentage of vegetable growers say extreme heat (58%) and drought (57%) impacted their most recent season. But any similarity disappears when you look at the severity of the impacts. Take a look at what we found out from respondents to the 2023 State of the Vegetable Industry survey.
With 411 answering the question, Did You Experience Extreme Weather Last Season?, a full 46% say drought had either a serious (affected timing of crops, lost enough crops to impact the season’s performance) or severe impact (lost fields or worse). These reports came from growers all over the country.
In contrast, only 34% say extreme heat had a similar impact. And those suffering through a drought were much more likely to say it had a severe impact.
When you think of wildfires, California comes to mind. Not only does it have more wildfires than other states, but it has the country’s highest vegetable production. Surprisingly, growers from all over the country cite smoke or wildfires as a problem.
Yes, California and Oregon growers cite it, but so do growers from Alaska to Florida, from Wisconsin to New Mexico.
Hurricanes and tropical storms, however, had a bigger impact on specific states, namely Florida and the Carolinas. Half of growers from these states say hurricanes and tropical storms impacted their season, with 47% saying it was serious or severe.
What NOAA Says About 2022
Each year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issues a U.S. climate report. When looking at averages, last year was not extraordinary for the U.S.. It ranked 18th warmest year on record (1.4ºF above average) and the 27th driest year on record (1.59 inches below average). It was the sixth warmest year globally, however.
Here are the “climate anomalies and events” that most impacted the U.S. vegetable industry in 2022.
April to June. New Mexico saw its largest wildfire. The Hermits Peak Fire burned more than 341,000 acres.
July to September. Four significant rainfall events caused major flooding in St. Louis, southern Illinois, eastern Kentucky, and the Dallas metro area.
September. During the first week of September, the Western U.S. saw nearly 1,000 heat records break. In the Southeast, Hurricane Ian (Category 5) made landfall in Florida on September 28. As a weakened hurricane, it made a second landfall in South Carolina.
All Year. Much of the U.S. experienced drought, sparing only a small portion of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, Southeast, and Northwest.
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