KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just north of Interstate 70 in Bates City, Missouri, sits 10 acres of farmland owned by John White.
"There is a lot of clay out there. And if you get excessive rain, its drowns the plants out here," White said.
Underfoot, most the ground is still soggy from the last rain.
"Just excessive amounts of water," White said. "It just holds the water in the ground."
White's farm is small in comparison to many, but he packs those acres with all kinds of plants for visitors to pick.
"We have strawberries, apples, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, and lots of vegetables," White said.
But the rain has ruined or slowed many of the crops.
The blackberries have been overtaken by weeds, the apples trees are producing too many apples, and the tomatoes plants are weeks behind.
"Some of my trees are losing leaves because the are being strangled with mud that is running off my strawberry fields," White said.
Despite the struggle against all the rain, White said this year is still better than last year's drought.
"I lost several trees. I had to cut them down because of the drought last year," he said.
White said he wants visitors who come to pick fruits and vegetables this year to understand they might not get the crop for which they had hoped.
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