Area Farmers Measure Hope In Inches Of Rainfall

Drought and Heat Dry Up Grasses, Crops

On a desk calendar, Tim Demeria keeps track of every inch of rain that falls on the sod farm he manages in Bristow. Every drizzle, every drop, every tenth of an inch is recorded in big red numbers of celebration.

But for the past few months, there hasn't been much to celebrate.

At Centreville Sod in Bristow, emerald-green grass gives way to parched, sun-singed patches in a perfect arc. On one side of the arc, there is grass that has been irrigated. On the other, beyond the reach of the irrigation pump, lie the casualties of a drought that goes back, according to Demeria's calendar, to March.

The effects of the drought can be seen in the fields that should be green and in the dust that should be freshly tilled soil. Demeria, who has been managing the farm since 1984, said there have been years that were pretty bad but "this year has just been exceptional."

"It should be a hint of green instead of a hint of gray," Demeria said.

There's more than a hint of gray across the county. Patrick Collins, the emergency services coordinator for Prince William County, said 28,800 acres of crops have been damaged due to the drought, totaling about $1.6 million in losses. Collins, along with the Virginia Cooperative Extension, is working to secure a disaster declaration for the county that would enable farmers to get aid.

Across the road from Demeria, Paul House has already started to count his losses by the acre. He grows corn, soybeans, hay, wheat and sod, and already he knows that the corn crop is nearly useless.

"A lot don't even have an ear on it," House said.

House said his only option is to chop up the corn and make silage for cattle, but without the kernels it lacks nutrients. House has irrigated his sod where he can for the past six or seven weeks, but said the extra cost adds up quickly.

"I don't think I have seen anything this bad since '83," House said.

This summer's lack of rain is only part of a larger problem, Demeria said. According to his records, the farm didn't see any rain in March, only 2.6 inches in April and 0.2 inches in May, all of which is far below usual. In June, he measured 2.5 inches and in July only 2.3, half of the usual monthly average. Because most of that came in one storm, the effects aren't visible.

"March was zero, so you are starting off on a terrible deficit, and it doesn't get made up," Demeria said. "It went from too cold to dry and hot overnight. We didn't really get a good growth period this spring."

The hot temperatures also aren't helping, Demeria said. Usually when an afternoon thunderstorm blows through the farm, temperatures drop significantly, giving the grass a reprieve and preventing the rain from evaporating too quickly. Without a rest from the high temperatures, the grass simply bakes.

"To sit here and watch all of your extreme efforts burning up," Demeria said, "it's stressful."

The farm runs irrigation pumps through the night when it's cooler with the hopes of preventing too much water from evaporating into the air. For 13 hours a night, Demeria irrigates as much of the 200-acre farm as is salvageable.

"It's mind-boggling that it is in such bad shape," Demeria said.

There is already worry about next year's crop. Usually Demeria tries to plant seed as early as August, but with the ground so dry, all that happens when he tends the field is that it turns to dust.

At this point, Demeria said, even a brief thunderstorm would be appreciated and a tropical storm or hurricane that comes up along the coast would be ideal.

"We take whatever we can get," Demeria said. "We are not picky."