Feeling Irene's Impact at the Carroll Gardens Farmer's Market

In a farmer’s mind, September is typically a month of plenty: plenty to harvest, wash and pack, plenty of marketing and hopefully, plenty of income to save for leaner winter months.

On your average September weekend, a diversified northeast vegetable farm (such as several that sell at our weekly Sunday farmers market) will likely offer a wide variety of produce, ranging from tomatoes, peppers and corn, to melons, greens, lettuces, beans, roots and summer squashes.

But while Hurricane Irene did not, thankfully, impact New York City as much as was projected, many small-scale upstate farmers in the Hudson Valley region are knee deep in water and reeling from the effects of devastating flooding on their land.

Instead of harvesting a bounty, farmers are trying to tally up losses, which are difficult to assess, given that many farms’ fields are still under water.

Farmers at the Carroll Gardens farmer's market come from a range of locations, and their combined experiences represent the variation in the scale of damage faced by regional farms.

Rogowski Farm, run by and her dedicated team, is among the hardest hit by the storm. Located an hour and a half northwest from the city in Orange County, the Rogowskis farm 100 acres. They deliver to 400 CSA members in the city, and come to three markets in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.

Of those 100 acres, only their 8 hoop houses have remained dry enough and accessible enough to harvest crops from. The hoop houses are located on higher ground, and so have not sustained as much damage as the fields. Cheryl continues to post a constant feed of photos to the farm’s Facebook page and Twitter account.

“We’ve suffered significant damage, but there are parts of the farm we can’t even get to," said Rogowski farmer Dan Geoghan, 21. "We assume the worst, because it’s better that way.”

The Rogowskis have lost all of their tomatoes and greens – most field crops. What remains is growing in the hoop houses: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, leeks.

“We haven’t been able to identify all the damage yet – our hands are tied,” said Geoghan.

Geoghan remembered a rainy spring in which he managed to row a boat clear across the farm.

“The flooding is just as bad in April – but it’s not as devastating, because you can replant,” he said.

Crops like tomatoes, peppers and corn take upwards of 90 days to come to maturity – there is no time to recoup the losses from these popular crops, he said.

The Rogowski's are throwing a “Barn Dance and BBQ” event on September 24th – adult tickets are just $10, and proceeds will help the farm recover from the storm.

On top of mounting losses, many regional farms have been hit with a double whammy: for reasons regarding food safety, the FDA has notified affected farmers they should not sell any flooded crops for human or animal consumption. In addition, crop insurance is hard to come by for smaller-scale diversified farms. Crop insurance typically insures one crop, not an entire farm growing dozens of different crops.

Prior to the storm, the Rogowski Farm worked like never before, “ripping potatoes out of the ground,” harvesting as many carrots as possible – which sold within a week after the storm.

Geoghan explained that farmers are waiting for waters to recede. When they have, it’s likely they’ll have to re-dig trenches that were dug in springtime, spending more money and time on a task that is typically performed once per season.

Despite the hardship, Geoghan echoed the gratitude of many of our local Carroll Gardens farmers, underscoring the dedication and support of Carroll Gardens customers.

“Lots of people have been asking [about the storm]," he said. "This is our favorite market, so we tried our hardest to get here, because of the relationship with the community. If we’re going to pull out of a market, it’s not going to be this one,” said Geoghan.

Lani’s Farm is the first stand you come to on the western end of the Carroll Street market. Located in South Jersey, they fared a bit better than the Rogowski Farm.

“All of our winter squash is gone. Nothing,” said Anne Roh, waving her hands back and forth, signaling the extent of the loss.

Syed Ahmed, a Market Assistant for Lani’s Farm, had been getting reports from Roh throughout the week – at first they thought they only lost 80 percent of this crucial fall crop.

“We are concerned, but when we look at people who lost everything, we know it could have been worse, and we feel lucky,” said Ahmed.

Lani’s Farm spans 100 acres, 70 of which are under cultivation. They have sold through Greenmarket farmers markets for seven years, and currently sell at five markets. They are very popular for their wide variety of beautifully bunched greens.

Ahmed also mentioned appreciating the kindness of the Carroll Gardens community.

“Sunshine, snow, rain – whatever – people come out and they shop," he said. "The neighborhood is very good in the sense that they come support the farmers in bad weather.”

Fishkill Farms, located in lower Dutchess County, suffered only minor losses in comparison with the Rogowskis.

“All of our tomatoes are split – they’re almost done,” said second-year farmer Ezra Arao, 30.

Though Arao and fellow farmers had to harvest all of the corn they could prematurely, she says they “got so lucky.”

If you are back from vacation and back to school, now is a great time to head to your local farmers market and support upstate farmers, many of whom are facing seriously damaging financial losses.

You can support Rogowski’s Farm and other hard-hit farms by making a donation through Just Food, or by purchasing a ticket to Just Food’s upcoming annual fundraiser, Let Us Eat Local. Stay up to date by visiting Just Food’s Hurricane Relief webpage.