Wet weather in recent weeks has left some of New Mexico's green chile crop in danger. A hail storm on Thursday was the latest in a spate of precipitation to plague chile fields in Dona Ana County.
Farmers say the rain is delaying some harvests as well as increasing the chances of a chile-plant disease.
Some fields are already dying from phytophera, a disease caused by moisture. Other crops are suffering from chile "pod rot."
A U.S. Department of Agriculture report issued last week says about 75 percent of the state's green chile crop has been harvested.
About 92 percent of the crop was harvested around the same time a year ago.
___
Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.