Wet Month Dampens Grape Expectations
When it comes to a wet month, September could be a record breaker.
As of midnight, our area is almost 3 inches above the normal rainfall amount for the month, and the excessive rain has grape farmers concerned.
The estimated crop yield for grape farmers this year was a good one.
But even if the vines are loaded with grapes, the sugar content in the berry determines how much money the farmer will get for his grapes.
Andy Muza is an educator with the Penn State Cooperative Extension. He says the rain at this time of the season could mean a lower sugar content and less profit for the farmer.
But Muza says all is not lost.
If the area dries out a bit and we have a few sunny days in a row, the sugar content in the grapes will rise to a level where the farmer will get more money per ton of grapes.
