Chile farmers have water to work with

According to the latest drought monitor, about 60 percent of the state is experiencing dry conditions, leading to a big impact on farmers and ranchers around the state. But what is the impact on one of our area’s most popular crops – the chile pepper?

If you’re a farmer, drought is one of the worst words that you can hear.

According to Carl Musso: “that’s an ugly word.”

Farmers in eastern Pueblo County are known for their chile peppers. The land here can yield around 1,000 bushels of the peppers per acre in a good year. If the crop doesn’t measure up, it can be devastating.

“It affects us being able to produce what we produce in the fields, it affects the price of everything,” said Carla Houghton of Mauro Farms.

Farmers like Carl Musso rely on nature to keep their crop looking good, and nature has been good to them lately.

“Last year was a good year for the water and this year looks about the same, we should have plenty,” he said.

You can tell that this area has seen some rain and snow this past winter by looking at the Arkansas River. It’s running pretty high right now.

In fact, since the first of November, Pueblo has seen near normal precipitation.

But as we know, in Southern Colorado, it only takes one dry stretch to start the drought once again.

Any drought that develops in the area would be nothing like what is happening farther to the west.

The long drought there affects farmers here.

“If we’re growing the same types of things, it will make the price go up,” said Houghton.

But even if there is a drought, farmers know that the chile is as tough as it is delicious.

“Once we start planting and we have water in the ditch, we don’t need any rain,” said Musso.

So if nature cooperates, the chiles that roast at festivals around the area this fall will be some of the best in the nation.

The latest outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls for above normal precipitation over the next three months.