BEAR CREEK, Wis. — Drought conditions in Wisconsin are getting worse, but crop conditions can vary widely.
Corn and soybeans have been hit especially hard by the heat and lack of rain, but some fruit crops are proving to be more resilient.
Blueberry Haven Farm owner, Richelle Aiello, said she does extra patrols of her fruit fields when temperatures start heating up.
"We have more hot days that will speed up the ripening process," Aiello said.
This farm has been Aiello's family for more than two decades. Aiello and her husband officially purchased the farm from Aiello's mother after working the farm side-by-side for four years.
Aiello said her family has been able to harvest plump berries during dry conditions because they put in a lot of hard work to cultivate drought-friendly plants.
"Our first crop — it's been picked five times now ... but being in our peak, that means that all of our varieties kind of overlap. So we have the most ripe berries in the field," Aiello said.
Blueberries need some water; Aiello said growing blueberries is a tricky balancing act. Too much rain will cause these berries to mold, while too little can cause them to shrivel. The key is having a system in place to help in either case.
"We do have an irrigation pond. Right now, it is getting low, but we have a backup irrigation pond that we laid pipe so we can pump as needed," Aiello said.
Aiello said she was thankful her July blueberry harvest has been strong, despite the summer drought. She credited loyal customers such as Lisa Koepp, who brought her family to the farm and made a day out of picking berries.
"This is actually our second time out here this summer. So we were here last Friday and it's still amazing picking. I am very impressed with the size of the berries given the fact that we have had drier conditions," Koepp said.
Koepp filled her bucket to the brim for baking.
"I'm going to be making muffins. There's blueberry cheesecake," she said.
Time is of the essence, as the blueberry harvest is short, typically lasting through mid-August.
"We are at our peak right now with warm weather it is definitely sped it up for us," Aiello said.
Aiello said she's counted her blessings for her heat-tolerant berries. Her heart goes out to the other farmers and crops not faring as well.