Long Stretch Of Rain Impacting Maryland Agriculture

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- Rain that soaked Maryland's metro areas also hit the Eastern Shore. So much rain fell, that spring crops were washed out on many shore farms.

"We've had about 12 inches of rain over the last week or so. The fields are saturated and a lot of crops are drowned out," said Caroline County farmer John Fuchs.

Fuchs lost 70 acres of peas. Farmer Matt Taylor says he lost not only peas, "but corn, soybeans, stuff like that has all been impacted. We also do market produce, that's also been impacted by the rain."

Maryland Secretary of Agriculture, Joe Bartenfelder, says he's been receiving reports of crop damage from nearly every shore county.

"This is planting season," Bartenfelder. "So a lot of the stuff that was already planted is ruined and the clock is ticking, it's ticking real fast on getting things in the ground."

Right now, a lot of that ground is a muddy goo. There's no getting anything planted in ground like that, not without a dry stretch.

"We'll have to go a week or so with no rain before we can get back in there," Fuchs said.

Asked if he's keeping his fingers crossed, "yeah, sure am."

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