Alaska: Cool spring puts chill on Valley crops

KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | Cool spring puts chill on Valley crops

According to data, Mat-Su crop growth is unusually slow for this time of year.

Planting season is plowing along at the VanderWeele Farm here. But unfortunately nothing seems to be growing.

"You plant right beside the stuff you planted a week ago and you say, what's happening? Nothing. nothing happening," farmer Ben VanderWeele said. "I mean, it's just pretty pathetic."

VanderWeele, a long-time Valley rancher, says the first plants went in the ground May 6 but haven't grown a lot since then.

"The ones in the field, they're barely twice as big and they've been out there five weeks," he said.

VanderWeele says the crops are struggling because the weather has been too cold and windy. And Palmer is much cooler than normal at this time of year, according to the National Weather Service.