Irrigating to replace the rain

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - So far this year, every month has had below average rainfall. July is following suit and some farmers are getting tired of making up the difference.

Sunshine and dry weather, good for many, but not for everyone.

"Yah it's been nice to go out, but the weather does kind of concern [me] with everything being dry. It causes more fires and the farms tend to dry out a little bit more," said Vincent Costanzi of West Springfield.

We haven't had many brush fires lately, but farmers are feeling the impact.
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At McKinstry Market Garden in Chicopee, they've had to focus all of their watering efforts on existing crops and ignore the bare field where they would plant new crops, at least until the rain comes.

Until it does, consistent watering is expensive. Water costs money, pumps use expensive diesel to run and then there's the labor. Farmer Bill McKinstry estimates that he spends 12 hours a day just making sure his crops are watered.

"You cannot water everything, even when you irrigate there's patterns of the sprinkle system or whatever that miss areas, so you're not going to get your higher yields, you're not going to get a good yield, you only can concentrate on so many things," said McKinstry, President of McKinstry’s Market Garden Inc. in Chicopee.

While watering is expensive, Bill McKinstry absorbs that cost instead of passing it on to the consumer.

McKinstry did tell 22News that too dry is better than too wet, because you can always add more water, you can't take it away.