Jefferson Braga is a vendor at the Dallas Farmers Market and owns , an urban farm that operates in the DFW area. Braga said the lack of rain in North Texas is hurting his crops.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have rain for a month in the late Spring, May into the summer,鈥� Braga said. 鈥淎nd even now in the summer we鈥檝e hardly had any rain. The crops are a little bit smaller.鈥濃��
Braga sells eggplants, fresh herbs and various greens at two markets including the . Braga said he doesn鈥檛 have enough produce to sell because of Dallas鈥� recent triple-digit weather.
Amanda Austin, a manager at the Coppell Farmers Market, said that farmers have noticed that their summer crops are late to bloom because of the heat. And this has pushed back their planting schedules for the fall. Farmers planting fruits and vegetables have told her they are struggling.鈥�
Austin said slower periods of crop growth for farmers usually happen from August to September.
鈥淭his year, the impact [of the heat] came an entire month early,鈥� Austin said. 鈥淔armers started struggling three to four weeks ago.鈥�
Local farmers said they will continue to do everything they can to attract more customers to their stalls. They are encouraging people to support local markets.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have a lull for about a month where the only folks passing by are on their way [to somewhere else]. It鈥檚 not as busy,鈥� Braga said.
Local farmers markets in North Texas are looking for ways to beat the heat.
The has started to offer ice water two times a day and keeps electrolyte drinks to prevent heat exhaustion. And the market has set hours from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays to avoid the heat, especially during summers.
The is providing fans and shade to vendors who sell produce at their location. They also are offering free water to vendors and buyers.鈥�
Braga is still selling produce at the local markets. But he鈥檚 also looking at other options to boost his revenue. He is offering $50 where he teaches people how to grow and produce crops of their own at his urban farm.鈥�
Yaamini Jois is an intern at 四虎影院 through the high school internship program. You can follow Yaamini on Twitter @yjois12.
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider today. Thank you.
