GEORGETOWN, Del. - Two days after the State Fire Marshal, John. W Rudd, ordered a burning ban, farmers are working to find ways to preserve their crops.
Effective immediately, the following are prohibited:
- Bonfires
- Controlled burnings, including burning of leaves and yard waste
- Agricultural burnings
- Fires for land clearing
- Fires for demolition and removal of hazards
- Outdoor rubbish fires, whether or not contained
The following are allowed:
- Campfires in areas cleared of all combustibles, surrounded by a non-combustible ring no larger than 3'x3', and used for cooking only.
- Grills/hibachis in areas cleared of surrounding combustibles and used for cooking only.
Right now, farmers are dealing with dried produce and dried grass due to these conditions.
Dried tomatoes due to dry weather conditions at Sassafras Farmstead in Georgetown.
Owner of Sassafras Farmstead, Justin Quay, says moving his animals every week to a different paddock is a big help.
Turkeys at Sassafras Farmstead in Georgetown.
"That way they get fresh new ground and that helps to limit the damage done to the ground and allow the plants to recuperate in time for the winter to hit," said Quay.
Though he's worried that if we don't get any rain soon, his efforts to limit damage might not be enough.
Sherry Long and her husband run Redden Rooster Farm in Georgetown. Long says they are a farm to table household.
However, right now, actually getting things to the table is a problem.
"This year because of the fact that we have the loss of the rain so early, I am having to struggle to try to make sure that we get whatever harvested that needs to be, so that we can have it for consumption," said Long.
Long shared that the couple is "very green" and often repurpose different items.
"We had fencing which was pallets," she shared.
Pallets at the Redden Rooster Farm in Georgetown that can not be repurposed due to the statewide burn ban.
"They are now in a big pile on the field right now. There's a burn ban and no one in their right mind right now would light a match to anything like that," said Long.
As of right now, it seems like there is no end in sight for the statewide burn ban.
People across the state are being asked to limit their water use due to the drought. This can causes issues for places like garden centers and golf courses who need to water their plants and grass regularly.
Karen Fox works at Wharton's Garden Center. She says they're doing their best to care for their plants while also trying to conserve water use in the process.
"Some of the things we do for our larger trees is we top dress them with mulch, that helps to reduce the water evaporation," said Fox.
But as those at Wharton's Garden Center say, nothing beats mother nature's rain.
Bill Adelman works with Lewes in Bloom. He says he can't even properly dig up the soil without watering it for hours.
"I want to put in grass and plant it here tomorrow. The key is to get that moisture but you can't, it's hard to work with. Even people in the construction business are dealing with this. Everybody's suffering from this," said Adelman.
Though everyone is trying to do their part to save water and save their plants, if Delmarva doesn't get rain soon, all their options may dry up.