CBS3 News in Springfield, MA ran a story on how the warm weather is affecting local farmers. The go to guys? Our own Nate Nourse and Ryan Voiland '96!
The story and video with Nate and Ryan is here.
Story Updated: Apr 19, 2010 at 7:08 PM EDT
Two weeks ago, temperatures reached new record highs in western Massachusetts. Local farmers have taken advantage. Asparagus, beets, and peas are getting ready earlier than usual, with apples and peaches blooming early as well.
"Right now we're probably two to three weeks ahead of the last two years.” said Nate Nourse, sales director of Nourse Farms in South Deerfield.
While many farmers markets do not start until May, such as the Springfield Farmers Market at Forest Park on May 4, many local farms across the region are ready to go. Ryan Voiland, owner of Red Fire Farm in Granby, said they’ll have much more to offer at the start of the season than years past.
"Because we've had better weather, we will be able to begin offering salad mix, spinach, and peas sooner.” said Voiland. “We will jump into the season where we have a lot of good stuff to eat that much more quickly."
However, there are still some worries if the warm trend suddenly ends.
“It's basically created a lot of anxiety about the earliness and how the cold weather that could come up and impact us negatively." said Nourse.
The National Weather Service says the growing season will not officially start here until the beginning of May, and a harmful frost or freeze cannot be ruled out just yet.
"When it's April you can't put out tomatoes, you can't put pepper plants out because it’s just expected there is going to be another frost." said Voiland
