By Christie Welch, Rob Leeds, Kate Hornyak, Bradford Sherman
Direct Food and Agricultural Marketing Team
It’s September, when nights are cooling down and fall is in the air. Thoughts are turning to picking pumpkins, visiting corn mazes, and getting out on farms to enjoy the fall harvest. This year, as you prepare to either welcome visitors to your farm or are a visitor looking forward to your annual pumpkin picking, be mindful that all across Ohio we are experiencing varying levels of drought conditions. Despite these challenges, our agritourism farms work hard to provide an enjoyable experience and quality products to enjoy with your family.
Even when the farmers do everything right, the weather can have an impact that can be impossible to overcome. As the drought has deepened across the state, it is important to keep in mind that this year farmers are dealing with everything from reduced production of fall crops and weedy fields due to heat and drought to more dust than usual. Many of our operations have their guests park in grassy fields. Due to the drought, some precautions need to be taken to minimize the fire risk, which can lead to loss of personal property.
Maintenance
- When parking on grass, make sure it is cut low. If the vegetation is high, it may take a couple of cuttings to get it to the right level. To ensure there is no dry material concentration to catch on fire. mow once high to get it to a manageable size. Then, mow again to get the vegetation low enough to not come in contact with hot parts of vehicles.
- Equip carts or utility vehicles working in the parking area with water class A fire extinguishers and ensure your employees have been properly trained on how to use them.
- Have a 500–1500-gallon water wagon available to water down drives and other pathways, reducing fire hazards and dust. The wagon should be equipped with spray nozzles and fire hoses in case of emergencies.
- Make sure any available dry hydrants are in working order.
- Contact your local fire department to see if they can come out and visit your farm and make recommendations on prevention methods. This will also allow them to better prepared to respond if an issue arises at your farm.
Bonfire Guidelines
- With the current drought conditions, reconsider offering bonfires on your agritourism farm. This is often a popular feature during the fall season in Ohio. If you are considering continuing with bonfires for an attraction, be aware of any open burning bans in your county. These bans can prohibit campfires and bonfires.
- Make sure to check weather conditions including wind speeds and direction before lighting a fire.
- If you must have them, ensure a chemical or water-filled pressurized extinguisher are available.
- Make sure the bonfire is entirely extinguished after the event
No one is more aware of the challenges a drought has caused than farmers. To help operators reduce the amount of stress they are experiencing, your support of their fire prevention efforts are critical. While they continue to do their best to help you have memory-making experiences with your families, please show patience and understanding, keeping in mind that they have done all they can to offer you an enjoyable experience. You can show your support through:
- Being patient with the dry conditions
- Making sure you do not cause fire hazards by smoking or parking your vehicle in undesignated areas
- Visiting the farms with your family and friends; supporting the farmers by enjoying their offerings and purchasing products can help them through this difficult season and look forward to next year
This is an unusual year, and the drought has added unforeseen hazards and stress to agritourism operations. Operators and farm guests can continue to enjoy our Ohio fall by working together.