近距离内射合集

After Albuquerque鈥檚 hottest summer on record, the giant pumpkins at this year鈥檚 State Fair are less so than in years past.

Despite a record-breaking 90-pound watermelon, farmers and fair staff said the fruits and vegetables in this year鈥檚 agriculture competition are smaller than in previous years, and entry volume is down in some categories thanks to drought and extreme heat.

鈥淭he product is small,鈥� said Laura Fiala, the fair鈥檚 agriculture superintendent. 鈥淟ess product this year, which is very explainable 鈥� we had no water.鈥�

Ninety percent of New Mexico is experiencing some kind of drought, though the northern regions of the state and Bernalillo County are facing the most severe water shortages, according to Clay Anderson, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service.

This summer was Albuquerque鈥檚 fifth driest in recorded history 鈥� joining years 2023 and 2011 as some of the worst for rain, Anderson said.

鈥淭he problem when you don鈥檛 get a lot of precipitation and you have above-normal heat for a prolonged period of time is you increase the evapotranspiration,鈥� Anderson said, 鈥渨hich is basically sucking all the moisture out of the soil and vegetation. So that鈥檚 what those farmers at the State Fair are dealing with.鈥�

Farming conditions can be cyclical, Fiala said, and while the State Fair has seen better for crops, it鈥檚 also seen worse.

鈥淟ast year we sat at our entry tables for 12 hours straight, nonstop, and we had every booth full,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his year, this is what we got, which happens.鈥�

A competition judge 鈥� who declined to provide his name in keeping with State Fair policy that requires judges to stay anonymous 鈥� said this year the contest had fewer entries of smaller produce.

鈥淣ormally, we would have 10, 15, 20 entries of one varietal of chile. I think I had three,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he drought鈥檚 affecting everybody this year 鈥� farmers, ranchers. It鈥檚 like nothing I鈥檝e ever seen in my career.鈥�

The State Fair opens to the public Thursday and runs through Sept. 20.

The drought even touches the state鈥檚 bee population, which needs water to cool its hives. When bees don鈥檛 have water, they can鈥檛 pollinate crops, and animals can鈥檛 eat, said Louella Costanza, who co-owns beekeeping business A-Bee Honey with her husband near Belen.

In addition to selling honey and honey-based products at the fair, A-Bee Honey cultivates and transports bees across the state. This year, heat and drought mean the bees they sell have less of a chance of survival, Costanza said.

鈥淵ou may want (bees), and I may want to sell them to you, but it鈥檚 a problem this year,鈥� Costanza said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not, in my opinion, going to succeed.鈥�

The competition鈥檚 honey section, too, is smaller this year, Fiala said.

Travis McKenzie, who teaches in the agriculture program at Polk Middle School, said he tried to use this year鈥檚 weather as a lesson for his students. Squash bugs, triggered by the heat, devastated their cucumbers, melon and squash crops, but McKenzie said he used it as a teachable moment 鈥� sometimes we put effort into things and we might not be successful, but we can learn from it, he said. 

鈥淚 think being a farmer is very similar to being a teacher,鈥� McKenzie said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e always thinking about next year. How can we do things better? What can we do differently?鈥�

Polk, an agriculture magnet school in Albuquerque鈥檚 South Valley, has its own display at the fair with some of the crops students have grown, including blue corn, gourds and amaranth. This year on the farm was the driest in his lifetime, McKenzie said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 alarming,鈥� McKenzie said. 鈥淩eally, the plants are on the front line of our climate crisis here.鈥�

McKenzie said he鈥檇 like to see a shift toward smaller, more sustainable local farms. Is there water to make it happen?

鈥淚f we can golf, yeah, I think the water鈥檚 there,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e just have to think about how we鈥檙e prioritizing it.鈥�

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.