Famous Rocky Ford cantaloupes could be late to markets this season

It’s the season for farmers to start collecting and selling their crops, but in Rocky Ford, severe storms from the past couple months have delayed selling the town’s famous cantaloupes.

Weather over the last few months has made the Arkansas River full and gotten most of southeastern Colorado out of drought.

Knapp Farm’s co-owner Gail Knapp said she still has a lot of water that comes from the Pueblo Reservoir, but the abundance of water comes with a price.

“If we hadn’t had the cold weather in May, we would be picking cantaloupes right now. We’d have them for sale at the market,” she said.

The Rocky Ford Growers Association said the famous melons are anywhere from 10 days to three weeks behind schedule.

The group said cantaloupes this time of the year would be gold, but because of the recent storms the cantaloupes are green and not ready to eat.

“Being a farmer, you just have to deal with what Mother Nature gives and go from there,” Eric Hanagan said. He is a board member of the Rocky Ford Growers Association.

The association said the delay could cost farmers up to 20 percent of their revenue.

“You don’t make that up, you just hope the rest of the crop makes money and produces well,” Knapp said.

Despite the potential loss, farmers in the area feel optimistic about the rest of the cantaloupe season.

Even though farmers could lose money, the association said the price of cantaloupes won’t affect the people who buy them.