All crops lost

All crops lost
Nuestras Raices Farm ravaged by Irene

By Dennis P. Hohenberger
Turley Publications Correspondent

HOLYOKE – The winds have died down, the heavy rains have stopped, but the effects from Tropical Storm Irene linger along the Connecticut River Valley. The Nuestras Raices Farm on Jones Ferry Road suffered heavy losses from flooding.
The organization will have little to celebrate at the annual Harvest Festival a few weeks from now. The high banks that protect the farm were breached last week. Polluted, mucked-filled waters laid waste the late-season bounty of corn, peppers, pumpkins, squash and flowers.
The dozen tenant farmers, who opted out of crop insurance, no longer have fields to tend or crops to sell at farmers markets in Holyoke, Chicopee and Springfield. The season is over.
Farm Project Director Kevin Andaluz, who surveyed the damage last Friday, estimated the crop loss at $200,000 or more. The farm’s north side sustained minor flooding, mostly around a stage that is used for events.
An access bridge that connects the farm’s north and south sides was severely damaged. The boards, which once supported workers and trucks, barely hold Andaluz as he crosses. A light mud caked leaves about six feet above a stream bed. The stream normally carries runoff from the Holyoke Mall.
“We planned to fix it before the storm, but now we need to fix it all because the water moved the whole bridge up,” he said.
As Andaluz walked up a trail to the main farm, the mud became deeper. A man hacked at corn stalks with a machete. Because the water has not been tested, the crops must be destroyed. A waste treatment plant up north, he said, overflowed and sent pollutants down stream.
Yellow police tape surrounded the plots once filled with near-harvested crops. A putrid smell emanated from the fields. Dead worms filled shallow pools. Insects and other species were noticeably absent. UMass Amherst is scheduled to conduct soil and watering testing.
Crops like Aji Dulce, a pepper native to the Caribbean, were destroyed. Andaluz said that crop sells for $5 a pound during the high season. Growers sold 7,000 pounds last year. The list of crops lost grew longer as Andaluz passed by the small plots. Eggplants, beans, cilantro and butternut squash were washed away.
Two days before the storm, farmers rushed to pick their crops. It was not enough time, though, as floodwaters toppled the banks and spilled onto the fields. In his six years managing the farm, Andaluz has never seen such flooding. “Everything you see inside the yellow mark is lost,” he said as his eyes fixed on a drowned pumpkin patch. The farm’s southern point cannot be reached on foot or by vehicle.
Andaluz said the organization halted all farmers market activities. “We don’t have any produce. It’s very sad,” he said. “It’s worse today, because you can’t grow this late in the season.”
Once soil sample results become known, the farm will plant cover crops to restore the land. Compost will be added when the soil finally dries out. He said the riverbanks must be fixed, especially a hole near the farm’s southeast side. “This is why the water is getting in,” said Andaluz. “I’m not happy, because many people use this to support their families. Right now, they’re not going to get anything.”
He said the Harvest Fest gave growers an opportunity to make a nice profit before the season ended. “They’re not going to have anything,” said Andaluz. “We’re working with a state agency to find some funds to help these people.” A special collection will set up for the farmers at this year’s festival. He estimates that soil restoration will take a few years.
Donations can be sent to: Nuestras Raices, Attn: Kevin Andaluz, Subject: Farm Relief, 329 Main Street, Holyoke, Ma, 01040

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