LI farmers also hit hard by storm

Tropical Storm Irene inflicted much less damage than expected, but its winds and rain could have long-term ramifications to certain sectors of the Long Island farming industry.

Crops heavily damaged during the weekend's heavy rain and strong winds included corn, lettuce and squash, Frank Beyrodt, president of the Long Island Farm Bureau, said Monday. Cornstalks are easily blown over by high wind, and lettuce plants will suffer with just an extra 2 inches of rainwater.

Many farmers were probably out assessing and documenting the aftermath of Irene Monday and will be again Tuesday, Beyrodt said, adding that farms bearing the brunt of Irene's wrath could reach out for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

John Kennedy, owner of W & K Farms in Manorville, said the storm damaged about one-fourth of his 70 acres of corn. Of the damaged corn, he will lose about one-fourth, representing a dollar value of $6,000 to $8,000. He sells his corn to the Plainview-based Fairway supermarket chain, and he runs a farm stand at Wading River Road and South Street, off Exit 69 of the Long Island Expressway.

"We had storm damage in the sweet corn, probably 18 acres of corn went down, bent over in the wind. Some got twisted around," Kennedy said. "We found out when the sun came out. It was a gut-wrenching thing to look at."

Kennedy and his six hired men, who pick the corn by hand, will be able to harvest about 75 percent of the ears from damaged stalks -- but it won't be easy, and it will mean higher labor costs.

Beyrodt said it would take about a week for an accurate and comprehensive assessment of the extent of the storm's damage.

"It's going to be widespread, but it could be much worse," he said.

Surprisingly, many vineyards seemed to have suffered minimally from the storm, Beyrodt said.

Jim Waters, owner of Waters Crest Winery in Cutchogue, said a couple rows of grapes were blown over, but there was no major crop loss.

"There's slight damage from winds, but it could've been a lot worse," Waters said.