Farmers struggle with soggy crops after a rainy start to summer

Farmers in Nova Scotia are struggling to maintain and harvest their crops after a rainy start to summer.

In the Annapolis Valley, home to many farms and vineyards, about 80 millimeters of rain has fallen in the past 10 days, flooding crops and washing away pesticides.

“I don’t know anyone who likes the weather right now,” William Spurr, president of Horticulture Nova Scotia, told CBC Radios. Information Morning Nova Scotia.

“Everyone is pretty discouraged right now.”

Spurr, a fifth-generation farmer who operates the Spurr Brothers Farm, grows strawberries, apples, pears, onions and carrots.

He said this is the wettest start to the summer he’s ever seen, leaving crews unable to go out into the fields to pick the produce. The rain also washes away pesticides that protect the tree crops.

“Every time we went into the orchards to mow or spray or do anything else, it’s rotted or everything just washed away, so it was definitely a challenge,” he said.

Spurr said he expects this could cause quality issues with their crop this year.

Jordan Eyamie, the manager of Webster Farms, faces the same problems. Her farm grows strawberries and raspberries.

She said her farm is struggling to protect its ready-to-harvest strawberries from botrytis rot caused by cool and wet conditions.

“It’s like a gray mold and that could be season-ending if you can’t get it under control,” she said.

Eyamie said she has already lost some of her crops to the fungus. During a quick broom of a field, she said an employee had picked an entire gallon of strawberries that had begun to rot.

“We do pick them off the plant to try to reduce or at least prevent it on the whole field,” Eyamie said.

“But it’s a bit of a struggle and the rain definitely makes it worse trying to save.”

She fears that the continued rain and the upcoming heat could end the season prematurely.

Spurr said farmers across the county are now hoping for sunshine, which is expected to come Thursday.

“It would be nice if the sun is out and this just dries up so we can get back on the pitch,” he said.

“But I can’t say I want the rain to stop completely, because we will definitely need some more in a few weeks.”