WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) – Farmers in Central Texas are rejoicing over all the rain the area has been getting recently.
They said the wet weather is desperately needed as they’ve been battling a drought.
In Wimberley, owner of EIEIO Organic Farm Kathleen Mooney said the rain helped bring her crops back to life.
“Green beans, usually I pick them every other day. With these rains we’ve been having, I went out yesterday morning for two hours and picked a bunch of green beans,” Mooney said. “And then I had to get back out there last night and pick for another two hours.”
She said it brought some hope to both farmers and others living in the area.
“A lot of us are dancing in the rain out here. We’re so excited,” Mooney said.
Not too far away, Dirt Candy Farm owner Mitch Cutler said recent storms impacted their farmland as well.
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Cutler said this is the amount of water that’s been collected in six months. Recent rain showers helped fill it up a bit more. (Photo: KXAN’s Sarah Al-Shaikh) -
Cutler said this is the amount of water that’s been collected in six months. Recent rain showers helped fill it up a bit more. (Photo: KXAN’s Sarah Al-Shaikh)
“Water was our biggest concern, because in tough times, if there’s no water, there’s no life. So we went about building this lake,” Cutler said. “We’ve had a few good days of rain here and we saw that the rocks are almost covered now. They were quite exposed before.”
Wells running dry
Cutler said they try to collect as much rain as they can, especially being in an area where wells have run dry.
“We need regular consistent rain and not intense rain over a week’s period to help the wells that we have,” Cutler said.
It’s a problem Mooney has experienced as well. She said it has led her to host a silent auction to raise money to get a deeper well and rainwater collection.
“This is really imperative. No water, no food,” Mooney said.
‘We need every drop’
For both Cutler and Mooney, water supply is constantly on their mind.
“Before we were farmers, we didn’t appreciate rain and water, as much as we do now with developing land to handle water and growing crops,” Cutler said. “So farmers are unique in their sensitivities, I think to nature and how it works.”
So, they’ll each continue watching the weather and remaining hopeful more rain will be on the way.
“We are in a severe drought right now. And we need every drop of rain we can get,” Mooney said.
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