Local farmers say extreme weather brings mixed blessings

After a season of heavy storms and extreme heat, local farmers in Southern Colorado say the extreme weather has been a mixed blessing for their yearly crops.

Chuck Hanagan’s cantaloupes are selling quick at the farmer’s market in Old Colorado City. He says it’s the sweet smell that attracts his customers.

“Unbelievable,” said Hanagan about the natural sugar levels his melons have grown. “I pulled up here today and people would walk down the sidewalk and they could smell them.”

He says the warmer temperatures bring out the fruit’s sweetness. However, his first batch of melons didn’t make it through the flash floods earlier this year.

“This year’s been challenging for all farmers,” Hanagan said. “We like it hot and dry but it’s been cool. We’re running at least two weeks late.”

Other farmers also struggled with their crops after a series of heavy rains.

“We’re not able to get out there and pick,” said James Ray, who grows all his produce in Pueblo. “It creates root damage. It starts to rot faster.”

But not every local grower saw a big loss.

Zack Quintana, whose family grows peaches in Palisade, said that because their crops grow in trees they aren’t affected as much by the rain.

“If it goes over like a hundred degrees it can start to affect the peaches,” he said. “But we’re kind of lucky in that sense. We don’t have to worry as much about flash floods.”

Now, the local farmers say they only hope to see more people at the farmer’s markets so that they can still make a profit after the delays.