GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Fulton Street Farmers Market is unsurprisingly busy once again as growers and patrons converge to exchange goods and pleasantries.

Farmers are already looking toward next year’s grow, but reflected on a year of challenges presented by mother nature and how that affects their bottom line.

“Certain things need a lot of water,” explained Jeff Strick, the owner of Strick Farms in Hudsonville.

He’s a fifth-generation farmer, tending to the same land that’s kept his family sustained since the 1870s.

“(This year) was hard. We are in a part of the county that was really dry. If we wouldn’t have had irrigation, we would’ve lost most things,” Strick said.

Even still, watering with irrigation just doesn’t quite compare to the nutrient-rich rain water.

“Natural r

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