Weather anxiety

Speaking with a grower this morning who had just returned from a sortie to his most distant potato fields you could feel the angst.  "It's a good thing I'm not a depressive alcoholic", was his take on the dought stricken farm.  Just a shower at the right time and there would be a decent crop he said, but so far it looks like clear, sunny weather as far as the eye can see.  Local apple growers are saying they will have a decent crop, but small due to the dry weather.  In farming, the difference between making and losing money is weather.  Too much or too little of any of Mother Nature's offerings can be fatal.  Last year, after Irene, many growers wished for dry weather.  Now they have it and  most are probably sorry for the change.  As the climate wierds out on us, these swings will get stronger and stronger and will make farming more of a gamble than ever.