County crop yields hit as drought watch continues
Farmers in Butler County are seeing a slower crop yield after a hot, dry season that some experts say may continue for weeks, despite higher chances of rain.
“It was almost like August-type weather … happening this early in June,” said Ken Metrick, farmer and owner of the family-run Metrick’s Harvest View Farm and Market.
The market in Mount Chestnut has been in business for 32 years, when Metrick and his wife, Cathy, married and bought the 28-acre farm. Corn and strawberries are among the produce “not growing as it should” at Harvest View, Metrick said, in light of a statewide drought watch declared last week by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
“Some of the things are getting held back,” he said. “Not all crops can be irrigated effectively.”