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farmers are “a little leery of re-seeding until they can see if the weather is going to get better.”
Dry conditions hurt cattle operations by forcing farmers to purchase feed or sell off livestock, and lack of moisture cuts fruit size and damages the return bloom (which determines the health of the next year’s crop).
Still, Mr. Williams is optimistic. One reason he listed for his outlook is the growing sheep industry. Sheep producers in the state, including some in Rappahannock, are forming a marketing cooperative. That’s worked in other areas, he said, and there’s no reason to think it won’t in Virginia as well.
A “very unique” fallow deer farm in the county “seems to be doing quite well,” an example of the alternative approaches that can pay off for those willing to take some calculated risks, he said.
Mr. Williams has been monitoring the recent increase in the number of fanners involved in market gardening, and is enthusiastic about its potential for growth insR^ppahannock. Raising high-quality produce in modest-sized gardens, some producers here are finding it worth their while to travel to Northern Virginia’s farmers’ markets four-tosix times a week. The return? Up to 80 percent of supermarket retail prices.
Market gardening’s appeal is
89.9%