(Hailey Clevenger, WSAW) Normally at this time of the year, the Auburndale FFA’s sunflower field is well on its way to fully blooming.
According to Hailey Clevenger with WSAW, this year though, it looks a little different. There may be only two sunflowers growing in the field right now because it’s soaked and the water simply can’t drain fast enough before more rain comes.
“Mother Nature said, ‘Hold my beer,’” Auburndale High School FFA Advisor Mark Cournoyer said. This is not the year the Auburndale High School sunflower field expected. It’s been raining non-stop and, for these sunflowers to grow, they need heat and timely rain.
“When it is dry they flourish better than corn,” Cournoyer said. “You know, but having a little bit of rain here and there helps, but we’ve never had a stretch where we’ve gone more than four days without rain.” All they can do is wait.
“We’re waiting for a window where we can have soil tilled; that the soil crumbles and it can be worked because working mud doesn’t work and seed doesn’t like to germinate in heavy wet clay soil conditions,” Cournoyer added.
However, the waiting may impact the charity they fund in the winter, Toys for Tots. People come and visit in late summer to take pictures of the flowers, but no flowers could mean no visitors. Still, the field will be open and raising money for Toys for Tots.
“Summer bloom is August 5th through August 20th. That’s kind of been our target date: plant by Memorial Day, then we have August 5th,” Cournoyer said. “So, it’s going to be a little different, but we’ll still have our other attractions out here. Our swing we’ll be out here and our chair.”
The sunflower field also has pumpkins that are growing and some seem to be doing better than others. Even as this year has not been like previous ones, they will still have volunteers help out once the wait is over.
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