OXFORD, Ohio — The bitter cold is making life challenging for many people, including some farmers. For Jennifer Bayne, the freezing temperatures are putting her business at risk.
Bayne owns 7 Wonders Farm in Oxford. She opened her farm in 2017 and grows crops year-round.
"We're growing winter-hearty crops," Bayne said.
Bayne said a lot of what she grows includes garden vegetables like tomatoes, spinach and lettuce.
She said, right now, she's struggling to grow crops she typically grows in the wintertime.
"The extreme cold is horrible for everything, I mean, we're just trying to keep everything from freezing," Bayne said.
WATCH: Bayne shows us how freezing temperatures are impacting her crops
Bayne said she's spent thousands of dollars on propane tanks this winter to keep her crops alive. That's because the tunnels where she grows them need to maintain a temperature of at least 30 degrees.
She said paying that much for propane is a risk to her business.
"That can affect the whole profit for the month," Bayne said.
Bayne showed us the tunnels where her winter crops are growing.
While the temperature inside is where it needs to be, she said the cold is still making things difficult.
"It definitely took a beating last night," Bayne said. "You've got some leaves that are dead, some browning."
Bayne said costs to keep things warm, mixed with minimal profit at winter markets is creating real concern that her farm could take a hit.
She said she's considering downsizing and the possibility of shutting down isn't out of the picture.
"This could make or break a whole farm, and once a farm's gone, it's usually gone and it's not coming back," Bayne said.
Bayne said she's doing what she can to stay afloat.
However, she said what helps the most is support from the community.
"Every small business needs help right now," said Bayne.
