PUEBLO — Massive hail and flooding hit Pueblo on Sunday night, but Musso Farms says their recently planted chiles managed to go mostly unscathed.
“We got fortunate in the fact that right here in this little part, we missed a big storm that could have been pretty devastating!” said Rocky Musso, a Farmer with Musso Farms.
As the hail came down heavy in other parts of Pueblo county, Musso says they were "thinking the same as everyone else - Boy, I hope it don’t come here!”.
*LISTEN* 👂 You can still see the effects of last night’s intense weather over here at Musso Farms 🌧 How will it and the incoming weather impact their Chile supply? Find out tonight on @KOAA at 4:00 & 5:00 ! pic.twitter.com/TKmlbmb1aD
— Natalie Chuck KOAA (@NatalieChuck) May 17, 2021
However, around 5:00 pm on Monday evening, severe weather came striking again and headed straight towards the crops.
“Extra precautions... There’s really nothing we can do, just sit and wait it out and see what happens!”
News 5 reached out to both Knapp Farms and Hirakata Farms in Rocky Ford to find out how their crops weathered the storm, but did not hear back. Musso says he has not heard of many neighboring farms who were damaged badly either.
“We feel bad for who it did damage, because nobody wants that for anybody… We’re all exposed to the same elements, but for right now we’re OK!”
In the event that more severe weather does damage their freshly planted chile, Musso says their farm is fortunate to be able to "plant enough chile in different parts, so that way we can make all the customers happy come harvest time, and then there’s going to be plenty for everybody".
When asked what he would say to Mother Nature if he could talk to her, Musso said “I talk to her every day! I don’t know if she listens, but I just say come on one more year!”
