WEST, Texas (KXXV) — Western Belle Farm has welcomed families to its pumpkin patch and corn maze for years, but this season its fall traditions are on the line.
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Taylor Huffman, who owns the farm, said the damage is visible before you even get close to the crops.
"I can just tell by the color of the pumpkins that they're not healthy."
Huffman said the combination of extreme heat and drought made this growing season the worst they've had since opening five years ago.
"This has been an incredibly challenging year. Not only has it been so hot, but it's also been dry as well. So it has made growing fall crops incredibly hard."
The farm's pumpkin patch normally yields thousands of pumpkins, making it a rare local favorite. This season, the extreme Texas heat had other plans.
"Unfortunately, even pumping water to them, with the heat that we've had this summer our pumpkin crop officially died."
Other parts of the farm are also suffering, including a flower field planted in honor of America's 250th anniversary — the theme of this year's festival.
"This was our flower field, that was going to be an American flag. Unfortunately it didn't make it."
The farm has gone nearly 2 months without a good rainfall, and the strain on water resources is showing.
"In the spring, our water is usually right up to here, so this is how much we've drained our considerably large tank just trying to keep everything alive."
One fall favorite still clinging to hope is the corn maze. Huffman typically handles the cutting herself, but this season she invested $5,000 in a professional design to make it extra special. Whether it reaches full height remains uncertain.
"As of right now, we're not 100% sure that our maze is gonna make it to full height. Right now it's only about knee high. But a good soaking rain could really change that."
Crop or no crop, Huffman said the farm still needs the community's support this fall. Western Bell Farm is set to open Sept. 26 with activities including hayrides and ziplines.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
