Drought Produces Western Region’s Driest Summer Since 1956

Southampton farmer Tom Bashista doesn’t bother with insuring his crops. What’s the use, he says, of spending all your earnings from a good year on insurance, waiting for a bad year to come along? He’s standing next to an apple tree in the orchard that has borne the Bashista name since 1926. The sun is strong, the air is hot and thick with humidity like it has been all summer. In the shop, there’s an apple cake in the oven. The smell is infectious and sugary sweet.