Nonprofit Farms Feeling The Heat As Drought Continues

The current heatwave affecting most of the country hasn't just been hard on the average Joe trying to beat the heat. It's also forced nonprofit farms to improvise as rain continues to be scarce.

One of these farms is Harvestland Farm West of Anerson, Ind., where the state is enduring the longest drought in nearly a century, according to The Herald Bulletin. The nonprofit farm has been forced to tap a pond in the center of its property to keep crops alive.

Another farm, Growing Places Indy, is faring a little because two of its three gardens have in-ground sprinkler systems. However, the organization's executive director -- Laura Henderson -- said that while the crops are growing, they are not surviving as long as they would given better conditions. She estimates that crop yields will fall 10 to 20 percent if the drought doesn't end soon.

This doesn't necessarily mean nonprofits will see a big hit to its revenue. Henderson said that crop sales account for less than 10 percent of the organization's budget. At the farm run by the mental health group Aspire Indiana, crops generate less than half of the group's budget. This is because the nonprofit uses farming for vocational rehab, not as a revenue generator.

You can read the full story in The Herald Bulletin.