By Clint Thompson
Extreme drought conditions in North Florida have led to advisories issued for water conservation. It’s a key development for growers who are preparing to plant watermelons in the Suwanee Valley Region.
But the biggest concern is the current dry conditions could only worsen over the next couple of months.
“I think the biggest concern is that we’re going into what is normally the driest part of the year,” said Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “March, April and May are typically drier among the months of the year. Going into that period with it so dry already is certainly not comforting. We’re all thinking about ways to conserve moisture, but the reality is where we’re growing crops on these sandy soils that need irrigation, they have to irrigate at some point.”
According to the most recent release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, extreme conditions in North Florida stretch from Washington and Jackson counties in the Panhandle, eastward to Duvall, Saint Johns and Flagler counties and as far south as Citrus and Sumter counties.
“Absolutely, there is a concern in this region about how dry it is. Most of the measurable things have been more about surface water, but certainly the Floridan aquifer we’re concerned about what impacts it might have on that if this trend were to continue,” Hochmuth said. “Certainly the farmers that have been farming here their whole lives are aware that this is one of the driest periods, probably in the last 15 years.
“So far, there isn’t anything that the farmers wouldn’t already be doing. They’re always in a conservation mode, so they’re not looking to have any wasteful activities anyway.”
One positive is that the current crop acreage impacted by the dry conditions is still relatively small, though that will change once watermelon growers start planting at the end of February.
The last time dry conditions were this extreme in North Florida was in 2012, before Tropical Storm Debby impacted the region in June.