Farmers expect to live with changeable weather, but the state's agriculture industry has been riding a whipsaw this year.

Miseries include record floods in February and March, drought in late spring, severe damage to Big Island irrigation systems in this month's earthquakes and, yesterday, the National Weather Service's prediction of a dry winter — a period when farmers generally count on enough rain to minimize irrigation costs and fill reservoirs.

"It has been a wild ride," said Steve Gunn, deputy director of the Hawai'i Agricultural Statistics Service.

This year's strange climate pattern launched with more than 40 days of severe rain, which helped collapse the Kaloko Reservoir dam on Kaua'i and caused a flood that killed seven people. The flooding also drowned crops across vast sections of Kaua'i and O'ahu.

The state approved 45 farm loans worth $1.8 million for this year's floods and has other loans still in process.

Yesterday, in response to the latest environmental upheaval, the state Board of Agriculture provided for similar loans to farmers who have or will suffer losses associated with the Big Island earthquakes.

'EXTREME' WEATHER

"What I notice about the weather is that it's been very extreme," said David Chinen, a Waikane, O'ahu, papaya grower. "The weather pattern is not like before, when you have trade winds you have at least 1-2 inches a week and usually at night. It serves us well. But now it's really opposite of that. You don't get the regular trade winds and once you get the kona conditions, you get too much rain or you don't get anything."

Richard Ebesu, a University of Hawai'i Cooperative Extension Service agent on Kaua'i, said Garden Island farmers experience similarly unusual conditions.

"It's so peculiar. For example, in Moloa'a, anybody close to the highway can get some rain, but go a half-mile toward the ocean and they get none. It was too wet in February and March, and now it's pretty dry," Ebesu said.

Many farmers depend on rainfall as their sole or main source of water. Kelly Lange, educational director for Hawaii Organic Farmers Association in Hilo, said about 50 percent of that island's organic farmers rely entirely on rainfall for irrigation. But even having irrigation isn't a cure-all, because irrigation can be costly — both in the price of the water and the maintenance of irrigation systems.

IRRIGATION COSTLY

On O'ahu, Poamoho Organic Produce owner Al Santoro said he expects to pay for irrigation during dry summer months, but normally shuts off its watering system during winter.

"We depend on the winter rain to replace our irrigation," Santoro said. When rain isn't available and the irrigation pumps must be turned on, "the cost increases as we use it."

Dean Okimoto, owner of Waimanalo's Nalo Farms, said farmers forced to use expensive municipal water for crops are faced with huge bills, and he predicted a winter drought would "put a definite damper onto agriculture production."

On Maui, it's been dry since the heavy rains of March, and reservoir water levels are low. Maui County Farm Bureau president Warren Watanabe said his farmers are planning to ask for a drought declaration for Maui County to provide farmers with access to emergency funding. Rains during the past week or so have provided a little respite, but not enough.

"Our concern on Maui is the ditch flow. Reservoirs have filled up a little but still the ditch flow is very low. The ditch flow is what fills up the reservoir," Watanabe said.

Maui pastures are dry, and that affects livestock production, he said.

DAMAGED DITCH SYSTEM

The most recent farming crisis has been the damage by the Big Island earthquakes to three major irrigation systems on the Big Island.

"We have only what water is in the reservoir. There is no water coming in and they say they expect it will take five to six months to reopen the ditch system," said Royce Hirayama, a produce farmer in the Lalamilo Farm Lots, near Waimea.

There's a backup, but it suffers from the same issue that other state farmers fear — it's expensive.

"We have a deep well, but they haven't been pumping it because it's too costly," Hirayama said.

The earthquake damage to the state's Hamakua water system, which provides irrigation water to 250 farmers, has still not been fully assessed, said Janelle Saneishi, public information office for the state Department of Agriculture. Landslides may have blocked ditches, collapsed sections of tunnels or caused other damage — with the result that the flow into the system is severely curtailed.

"This has been a difficult year," Saneishi said.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com and Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.