Hudson Valley farmers report crop damage during severe drought conditions

Fourth-generation Goshen farmer, Chris Pawelski, says his Black Dirt crops aren’t growing and are dying because it’s so dry.

Blaise Gomez

Aug 12, 2022, 7:03 PM

Updated 787 days ago

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Severe drought conditions in parts of the Hudson Valley are now causing problems for some area farmers.  
Fourth-generation Goshen farmer, Chris Pawelski, says his Black Dirt crops aren’t growing and are dying because it’s so dry.  
“It’s probably the most significant drought that I’ve seen since '99’,” said Pawelski. 
He anticipates losses will cost his farm thousands of dollars and says the impact to the farming industry will affect the local produce supply this fall.  
“We simply don’t have the supply, and the input cost of produce is much more significant,” said Pawelski. “The combination is a one-two punch that’s going to make it more problematic.”  
On Friday, Congress approved debt relief for farmers under the Inflation Reduction Act to forgive USDA loans given to economically distressed farmers.