Long Island farmers assess crop damage after nor'easter, with dry week ahead

As drier conditions were forecast this week, work began for many East End farmers as they assessed possible damage to crops from the prolonged nor'easter that brought three days of rain to the region.

Brian Lewin, co-owner of Lewin Farms in Calverton, said the ground was too muddy Tuesday for him to drive and take stock of crops.   But he has already seen some plants have rotted in the field, like potatoes.

“We end up just bypassing them because we can't even dig them,” Lewin said. “They're just in the low spots where the water settles. They're just rotten.”

Lewin told Newsday the nor’easter comes after other weather events that deeply impacted his crops, such as the intense winter and late frost that affected most of his apples and peaches in the spring.

But, to prepare for the storm, Lewin said staff picked “pretty much everything we would need” to sell the Friday beforehand. 

Calverton received a total of 5.68 inches of rain in the nor’easter, the National Weather Service said.

One positive note was that his Christmas trees “look better than I've ever seen them look because of all the rain,” said Lewin, who has farmed for more than 30 years. “They're so green and bright and beautiful.”

Rich Pisacano, of Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack and owner of Roanoke Vineyards, said he and his team were assessing grapes Tuesday morning, going from vineyard to vineyard.

"Today is a big day,” Pisacano said of the evaluation. “Some of them are great shape, and some of them aren't in as great shape.”

The storm also added to a pattern of consecutive rainy Sundays on Long Island, which can be a blow to farms that sell seasonal crops like pumpkin and corn and depend on weekend customers. Despite dry conditions this week, forecasters said Oct. 4 is forecast to be the fourth rainy Sunday in a row on Long Island. 

Lenny Bruno Farms in Manorville, for example, is one of the many farms that host special weekend events. Two weeks ago it hosted its San Gennaro Feast,  which went on despite the rain. This weekend will be the start of The Great Pumpkin Palooza, which offers hay rides, live music, pumpkin picking, corn mazes and more.

The weather service recorded 4.71 inches from the storm in Manorville.

“Any time it rains on weekends, it's not a great situation,” said Dominick Bruno, of Lenny Bruno Farms.

Bill Zalakar, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, said the biggest impact of the weekend storm was that there were "zero sales.”

“So many famers lost 100% of sales over three days, and you’re only limited to eight to 12 weekends in the fall. When you lose one weekend, it's really going to affect you,” he said.

The storm's wind did cause damage to some farms, he said, such as knocking down crops in corn mazes. The heavy rain also damaged crops such as pumpkins, melons and tomatoes.

“Pumpkins on the ground are rotting like crazy,” Zalakar said. “The sun is out for the first time after rains over three days. It’s going to be close how well the drainage goes. Hopefully things will dry out.”

Newsday's John Asbury contributed to this story.