Local farmers were experiencing dry conditions and welcomed some rain in June. However,  the recent deluges were excessive. 

June 12's rainfall was anywhere between 5 to 9.27 inches, depending on the farm,  and Thursday added another 1-3 inches.  June 12-15, some Glades farms have received nearly 15 inches of rainfall.  As of June 15, 7-day average ranged from 6 to 9 inches across the farming region with 10.22 to 14.8 inches in places.

 Design of the Central and South Florida (CS&F) Flood Control System created drainage for only ¾ of an inch per day—resulting in a great deal of standing water.
 
According to a recent South Florida Water Management District Water Conditions Report, the week’s rain events could rank as the “wettest seven days in June” in three decades.
 

As in neighboring urban/coastal areas, the impacts of this much rainfall all at once has created challenges across the board on our farms:
 
-- Most fields have significant water standing.
-- Many farms will require field and farm road repairs due to washouts.
--Sugarcane crops faced a wet planting season followed by extremely dry conditions and now have moved into rainfall totals that are similar to or in excess of what would be expected from a hurricane.
--Farm operations are impacted as fields will be inaccessible for several days—delaying cultivation, land preparation, and other activities typical to this time of year.
 
Sugar manufacturing facilities are undergoing annual post-harvest- season repairs, and this rainfall may cause some delays.  Bagasse fields, which provide renewable power to area refineries and other related facilities during the summer non-harvest months, may experience higher moisture levels.  This requires additional steps to dry before moving into the boilers.
 
Fortunately, with great people and investments in the latest technology, farmers and our sugarcane crops have become pretty resilient when facing adverse conditions.  Once the weather clears, farmers plan to deal with these issues and resume normal operations as soon as possible.