PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Recent showers are bringing some relief to Palm Beach County, but it has been a very dry growing season for local farmers.
At Alderman Farms, an organic farm in the county, the recent rain comes after months of tough conditions.
WATCH BELOW: Recent rains bring 'big relief' to Palm Beach Co. farmers
Jimmy Alderman, a third-generation farmer who runs the farm, told WPTV on Tuesday that this season has been hard to navigate with freezing temperatures and very little rainfall.
"We've had the freezes and a little bit of damage from the frost that tends to dry things out pretty bad, so to have a drought behind it, it's been pretty difficult," Alderman said.
The weather has made it hard to plan and even harder to keep crops healthy. When conditions stay dry, it starts to hit farmers where it hurts most.
"When we're going through drought, plants typically don't grow to the same size. They don't produce as much yield," Alderman said. "Usually, it runs our fuel bills a lot higher because we're having to provide power somehow … to hold water up."
After weeks of dry conditions, the rain is bringing some relief.
"To see the rain come through (Tuesday) morning, and the little bit of rain we had last week is a big, big relief for us, because we're getting a little bit extra water that we normally wouldn't get this time of year," Alderman said.
Even with several inches of rain, the WPTV First Alert Weather team says it is not enough to end the drought.
"It's not going to get rid of it altogether, because we need that every day type rain that we get in rainy season, when it starts at the end of May, but this will definitely take a bite out of it for now," WPTV First Alert Weather meteorologist James Wieland said.
While the rain helped, it is not enough to turn things around just yet. The latest statewide drought monitor comes out on Thursday.
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