Irrigation expenses loom as planting season begins

Ongoing drought would increase farmers' irrigation costs as local growers begin preparing for a season already sown with higher prices for fuel and equipment.

"I just hope that people will be understanding that our food in the U.S. is the cheapest in the world," said Sue Gray, an Oklahoma State University Extension horticulture specialist. "And if the cost of food goes up, they don't blame the farmer. They're trying to make a living on a very thin margin."

Nearly 100 percent of Oklahoma's topsoil moisture is considered in short to very short supply, according to the Oklahoma Agriculture Department.

The news isn't much better for soil deeper below the surface.

And, since ponds are increasingly dry, local growers are left with little choice but to irrigate by using water from wells or more expensive supplies.

"It's going to be an expensive year for irrigation," said Emily Oakley, who co-owns Three Springs Farm with Michael Appel.

Their operation supplies local stores, restaurants and farmers markets with the vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers they grow on more than two acres in west Tulsa. They also operate a Community Supported Agriculture program, which allows consumers to purchase a share of the farm in exchange for weekly produce deliveries.

"The drought is definitely going to pump up our irrigation expenses," she said. "We use city water."

However, they also use techniques designed to conserve water, including drip tape, which works like a soaker hose to slowly and efficiently deliver moisture to plants' roots.

But it's not the same as getting a good, soaking rain.

"Certainly we can see a visible difference between plants that get irrigated and those that get a rain storm," Oakley said.

One reason is because a thunderstorm delivers a small dose of nitrogen to the plants, Gray said. "That's always a bonus for farmers."

LeRoy Shanks, a Leonard-area farmer with more than 50 years of experience in the industry, said he'll likely cut back on the produce he plants. He also sells his vegetables at farmers markets.

Shanks will soon plant onions and potatoes, and will follow with lettuce, carrots and beets later this month.

"I've got a little bit of experience with weather from the 1950s," he said. "There were a lot of pretty dry years there."

Prices that farmers receive for their produce aren't likely to change from last year, Shanks said.

"I've already seen cantaloupes in the stores two for a dollar in the winter," he said. "Of course, they're not fit to eat."

Cost increases are a problem, he said.

"Fuel, fertilizer, anything made out of plastic that you have to use, and of course, seed prices go up a little every year," Shanks said. "It's about everything you go to buy: steel went up, parts prices went up to repair anything."

And, to top it off, the state's burn ban has put off projects that involve welding or a cutting torch.

"It looks like a typical Oklahoma year to me," Shanks said.

And he would know. His family has dealt with Oklahoma weather for more than 100 years.

His father farmed in roughly the same area and would tell stories of how the temperature rose to 90 degrees in February 1911, Shanks said.

Smaller operation farmers are also battling big concerns this year.

At The Living Kitchen Farm and Garden, a Bristow-based chef service with home delivery, catering and cooking classes, most produce is grown on a 6,000-square-foot garden.

Co-owners Lisa Merrell and Lisa Becklund have been conserving water and irrigating from a well. But, like many farmers, they're also raising animals.

"My biggest concern so far has been for our sheep and goats, and are we going to be able to graze them like we usually do?" Merrell said. "If not, will there be enough prairie hay and alfalfa for their protein?"

"And how am I going to afford to buy it," she asked. "It's kind of a guessing game at this point.

"But I'm trying to not put too much energy into negative thought."

Instead, Merrell and Becklund have been planning to expand and diversify their business by adding a commercial kitchen and products such as goat cheese.

For backyard farmers, the water situation may be a bit better.

Gardeners with dry soil to till might find it helpful to irrigate the area a week or two before turning the earth, said Gray, the OSU Extension horticulturalist. "However, some farmers who have clay soil are finding that they have moisture" a few inches below the surface, she said.

Also, they should prepare for temperature fluctuations by keeping some means of covering plants on hand, but also having plenty of mulch just in case it gets too warm too quickly.