Consumers likely noticed smaller apples and potatoes and pricier blueberries lining grocery shelves this fall after one of the driest summers in 30 years triggered drought alerts throughout Maine, with the National Weather Service predicting that the parched conditions will likely continue into next spring.
Already in its seventh month, this year’s drought has been a wakeup call to farmers, who had become comfortable with long stretches of rainfall. It has caused millions of dollars in losses to iconic Maine crops, including $30 million in blueberries and $10 million in apples, according to federal data. It also caused shortages of hay feed for animals, and 541 private wells ran dry, according to state figures.
The damages are prompting more farmers to invest in drought-fighting measures, including installing expensive irrigation equipment and amending soil to minimize losses. Agriculture contributes about 5 percent of the state’s gross domestic product — or about $12.6 billion — making the drought and its ripple effects one of the top environmental stories in Maine of this year and into 2026.
“It’s easy to get somewhat complacent about things like drought because you hope it’s an aberration and that things will be better next year,” said Tom Gordon, coordinator for the state’s Soil and Water Conservation Program. “It’s important for farmers to begin to plan for ongoing water deficits and look at what they can do to enhance their water sources and conserve water wherever possible.”
Farmer Paul Thomas knows firsthand what an extreme drought and heat can do to crops, estimating that he lost about half of the 250 acres of squash, potatoes and other vegetables he grows at Thomas Farms in Corinth. He’s in the process of installing two additional pivot systems for irrigation — the systems with long outstretched arms that spray water on fields — in addition to the several he already has. He also has two large manmade ponds out of which to pump water.
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This summer, record-breaking temperatures in June and August coupled with a lack of rain caused Thomas’s two ponds to run dry, something that hasn’t happened in more than 10 years.
Irrigation is costly, running more than $60,000 to buy each center pivot machine. Initial investment in an irrigation system costs $100,000 or more. It costs $300 a day for the diesel fuel needed to pump some 1,500 gallons of water per minute out of the ponds and onto his fields. Smaller farms pay even more to truck in water.
These kinds of systems are still emerging in a state seen as rich in water. Only 10% of Maine’s total farmland is irrigated, according to federal estimates, with potato and blueberry fields faring a bit better with 25% of them irrigated. That means the rest of the farmland is at risk of losing large portions of crops in a drought.
Rob Johanson, co-owner of Goranson Farm, an organic farm in Dresden, was pumping water almost constantly this summer. He can tap water out of the Eastern River through some 3,000 feet of underground pipe with hydrants every 300 to 400 feet to spread the water.
“We would essentially irrigate the whole farm, which would take about a week, and then we would just start again,” he said.
He also is adding organic matter to the mostly sandy soil on his farm, which helps the soil hold more water. He needs one inch of water per week for ideal growth of his crops, while Thomas needs 2 inches per week. August had only 25 percent to 50 percent of normal precipitation, with most of Maine seeing less than 2 inches of rainfall for the month. It barely rained in September.
Potatoes are a cool-season crop. When it gets too warm, they breathe more and use more sugar, decreasing their productivity. Under higher nighttime temperatures, they also get more stress-related defects, experts said. Stress can lower the starchiness needed for fries and chips, for which most of Maine’s potatoes are destined. Potatoes are usually hardy and do well in Maine, where summer days of 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit and cool nights of 50-60 degrees suit them.
Blueberries suffered when high temperatures prevented flowers from budding. Other plants, especially shallow-rooted lettuce and tomatoes, dried out.
Maine’s most serious droughts occurred in the mid-1960s and early 2000s, although there have been drought conditions in 2016 and 2020. This year’s drought stood out for its rapid onset due to high temperatures, with growers commenting to scientists about how quickly soil moisture depleted, said Sean Birkel, the state’s climatologist. Adding to the stress on soil and crops, the dry air caused water to evaporate from plants, he said.
Although Maine’s climate is getting wetter, droughts are unpredictable and can cause significant damage during growing seasons, Birkel said. Farmers had become accustomed to consistent rainfall recently, with the early-2000s drought followed by an almost 10-year period that was the wettest one in Maine’s climate record going back to 1895, he said.
It isn’t clear when this drought will end, researchers agreed. The frozen ground will keep rain or snow from replenishing the water table until next spring, they predicted. Even the heavy rains of mid-December did not make up the water deficit, because the ground is already frozen from Millinocket and the central highlands north, James Sinko, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Caribou, said during a state task force update meeting on Dec. 19.
Whether the snow melt in the spring rejuvenates the groundwater depends on how fast the snow melts. If it melts too fast it may become runoff rather than soaking into the ground, he said.
The drought began in June, but the USDA declared Maine a natural disaster area in November after it became more severe, opening federal aid for farmers. By then, some 81 percent of the state was in severe or extreme drought conditions, according to a Maine Drought Task Force report. Most of the state is still in a moderate to severe drought, according to the task force.
To help farmers, the Maine Legislature passed the Farmers Drought Relief Fund this year. It offers financial and technical assistance for water management planning, agricultural well drilling and farm pond installation. So far 10 farms have received a total of $75,000 for water needs planning and another 10 received a total of $194,000 for well drilling. Four farms got a total of $163,000 for water storage ponds. The goal for 2026 is to disburse about $900,000 to 40 or more farms.
The relief fund received 28 applications this year and expects that to more than double to 60 to 75 applications next year as farmers see the cost of drought, according to Gordon of the water conservation program.
“This is the type of year that separates the big boys from the hobby farmers, who won’t have all the irrigation stuff to use,” farmer Thomas said. “This drought was extreme with high temperatures that we were not used to having for a long time.”
Lori Valigra reports on the environment for the BDN’s Maine Focus investigative team. Reach her at lvaligra@bangordailynews.com. Support for this reporting is provided by the Unity Foundation, the Broad Reach Foundation and donations by BDN readers.