Heavy rain and flash flooding has impacted much of New Mexico and is making for an unusual Chile season.
Chile growers like Glen Duggins of Cinco Estrella Chile in Socorro County have dealt with the ramifications of the monsoons, which have drenched the state.
“We need the monsoons to flow the river — but, if there are extra activity in monsoons, a lot of times what will happen is you just irrigated and now it’s going to rain for a bit and chile does not like water and it will actually die,” Duggins told KOAT.
A lack of labor doesn’t help.
"It keeps raining and the shortage of labor, we can't keep up with it,” Duggins said. “The men can't work in the mud and when they do get to work, we don't have as many as we need. We've gone from 38,000 acres down to 7,000 acres in this state. We're not the biggest anymore, but we're still the standard. We just simply need more labor.”
Despite the challenges, the harvest season brings a new level of optimism as the tradition of purchasing, roasting and freezing chile for the year is a New Mexico ritual. "Harvest day is a good feeling,” Duggins said. “We've been through so much. There are so many hurdles in front of you and you never know what's going to come in front of you, but when harvest comes. It's just a good feeling. You can see your hard work, your efforts, now are paying off. It's rewarding. Just pray for us, we need it. Farmers are people of faith. We know we'll get through whatever faces us.”
