A Minnesota blueberry farm is welcoming customers back for the season, but with fewer picking days and a smaller crop than usual largely due to changing weather patterns.

Sydney Nelson, assistant manager at Blueberry Fields of Stillwater said recent weather extremes have made it harder for the bushes to produce as they typically do.

"Usually in a typical season, we get three rounds of picking off of the bushes," Nelson said. "But this year, we've had a much smaller crop... so we don't have a lot of ripe fruit left for tomorrow."

Nelson pointed to a combination of factors — including back-to-back years of drought, a lack of snow cover this winter and general climate instability — as contributing to the farm's reduced output.

"The changing climate and how that affects the weather we're experiencing is really the biggest thing that has impacted our crop this year," she said.

Despite the setbacks, long-time customers are still making the trip. Kristina DeMuth took the day off work to visit the patch on its opening day.

"I actually scheduled the day off today... worked out great to come out early and get a lot of picking in," she said. "Kind of bummed it might not be as long this year as usual."

WCCO Director of Meteorology Mike Augustyniak said these types of weather swings are becoming more common as the climate warms.

"We're seeing this flip-flop, these extremes kind of put next to each other... where you'll have extreme drought followed by extremely heavy rain," Augustynak said. "That is almost impossible for anybody to plan for."

Still, the farm remains optimistic and proud of its work. Staff plan to reopen later this week once more fruit ripens, and they encourage customers to check the farm's website or Facebook page for updates before visiting.

• Stillwater News
• Climate Change