NEW BERLIN, Wis. — A New Berlin farm that relies on pumpkin sales to keep their business profitable is facing a devastating loss after recent flooding swamped nearly their entire crop.
The Salentine Family Farm, which dates back generations, has seen approximately 10 of their 15 acres submerged under water and muck following Saturday's severe storms.
"Specialty crops like produce and pumpkins aren't insurable as well as corn and soybeans," said Landon Valenta, who owns the farm with his wife Tanya.
Walking through their fields reveals the extent of the damage, with water and muck well at least six inches deep at the shallow parts. The floodwaters completely overwhelmed many plants.
"These were all the way over the top," Landon said. "The plants can't come back from that much water."
For the Valentas, who recently revived farming operations on Tanya's family land, the timing couldn't be worse. Their pumpkin crop was nearly ready for harvest when the storms hit.
Watch: Flooding wipes out most of the fall crops at New Berlin family farm
"It's hard, like last year, pumpkins were what really helped us pull through to the season," Tanya said. "It was really devastating seeing a lot of the impact that the pumpkins took from the rain."
Community members have taken notice of the struggles facing local farmers. A community Facebook group has been encouraging people around Waukesha County to support local farmsteads by purchasing produce and leaving a little extra money to help offset losses from the flooding.
The family is currently assessing their fields, discarding damaged eggplants and peppers while trying to salvage whatever produce they can. Landon says while the pumpkins currently look okay, he explained that by the time the water recedes, most will likely rot. They remain hopeful but realistic about their pumpkin prospects as fall approaches.
"Our goal is to keep pushing through, but it definitely has a huge impact financially," she said.
Landon echoed her resilience: "Keep going, it just gets tight at the end of winter."
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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