Have you ever noticed how beautiful it is after a storm has passed? It’s been an incredibly stunning day, but just start driving around – even here in rural Tennessee where the devastation isn’t as dramatic as in the more populous areas – you see debris tangled in fence lines, mud across the roads, rock slides and the river in places it’s never been seen before. The Cumberland is supposed to crest tonight, flooding over 500 acres of farmland and who knows what more damage it will cause to those living and/or working along the river. Some of our closest neighbors in Pleasant Shade lost their home to 5ft of water and the post office has been pumping water out all day.
Farmers have been hit hard. Spring crops were just being sown and now fields are either still lakes or flattened by fast moving water. I haven’t heard yet about the about to be harvest strawberries, but many of our strawberry farmers have got to have been hit hard. The Nashville Farmers Market is under water and most of the full time market farmers and vendors have lost everything. They don’t expect to open for at least 3 weeks. It’s not the lead story on the news, but the after effects of this past weekend’s storm are will be felt for a long time. I know many of our small farmers were about to return to local farmers markets with spring lettuces, onions and other crops, but many now will have to wait to assess their damage and re-plant. This will make their small margin of profit even smaller.
As things dry out and return to normal for the rest of us, remember your farmer and if prices are a bit higher or the choices aren’t as numerous as usual this spring – remember they have been dealing directly with the power of the storm.
