Maine farmers’ spring plantings and field maintenance have been delayed by two to four weeks this year due to fields that are too wet and soft to handle heavy machinery. This threatens the profitability of this year’s crop for farmers already suffering from low market prices and high transportation costs.
“With any crop that uses heavy equipment, they can’t get onto the field,” said Julie Ann Smith, executive director of the Maine Farm Bureau.
The impact of the delay has been “pretty significant” on hay growers that supply food for livestock at horse, beef and dairy farms. The first crop is the most important to hay growers, Smith said.
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