Heat wallops Haldimand-Norfolk crops

The fields of Haldimand-Norfolk could use a drink.

The way this year has gone, so could the farmers.

A late frost gave way to heat waves in June and July. Add in the lack of available farm labour due to the pandemic and farmers are faced with smaller yields and shorter harvests.

It has been an adventure this year," said Sharon Judd, who grows strawberries at Meadow Lynn Farms in Simcoe.

A normal pick-your-own season at Meadow Lynn lasts 30 to 32 days. But the recent heat caused the berries to ripen more quickly, and then, as the mercury kept rising, fried the plants.

The berry season has come crashing to a halt. The weather this weekend has cooked them in the field," Judd said on Monday, announcing the end of pick-your-own operations after just 18 days.

At Heritage Lane Produce in Langton, Greg Boyd said the June heat wave kinda screwed things up" for his spring vegetable crops, shortening the harvest by two weeks.

It's the combination of persistent heat and dryness," Boyd said. Our spring crops - spinach, lettuce, peas - they've really been hit hard."

While losing about 15 per cent of his total harvest is not a significant amount," it has meant some shortages at Boyd's table at the Simcoe Farmers' Market.

The lettuce goes bitter, the spinach doesn't germinate," he said. They eventually dry up."

Unlike his burnt-up spinach, summer crops like broccoli, squash, beans and potatoes welcome the heat. As a bonus, Boyd said, the sunshine kills pests and suppresses weeds, further aiding the crops.

Dealing with temperature swings, even the current mild drought, is old hat to farmers. Boyd said anyone in the vegetable business has an irrigation system in place to cope with excess heat and ensure a marketable" crop.

The biggest thing is the moisture - keeping up with irrigation. If you don't have adequate irrigation capacity, you're not going to do well," he said.

Grain crops feeling the heat

For grain farmers, the rising temperatures mean rising anxiety.

They're going to be crying for rain," Boyd said. The corn crop is going to suffer. It's been too hot and too dry for too long."

Norfolk farmers have an advantage since the county's sandy soil can more quickly rejuvenate after a rainfall than the heavy clay soil found in neighbouring Haldimand.

When that clay does dry out, it basically turns into concrete," Boyd said.

That's the challenge for grain farmers like Aaron McQueen, who grows corn, soybeans and wheat on 130 acres in Fisherville.

We've long ago run out of moisture," McQueen said. This year, doesn't matter what kind of soil you have, you're dry."

As the soil dries out, it shrinks and eventually cracks, which can sever the crops' root systems. McQueen said he could stick his hand down a 10-inch crack he found while recently inspecting his land.

That's an issue," he said. You won't see corn plants toppling over tomorrow, but it definitely impedes growth."

With a few exceptions such as Snyder's Sweet Corn, a major commercial operation in Caledonia, grain crops in Haldimand aren't irrigated because of lack of access to water and the prohibitive cost of installing an irrigation system to support crops with small economic margins.

Adding water to clay soil, which acts like a sponge and holds moisture near the surface rather than having it permeate quickly, is also risky, since a subsequent rainfall could leave the land waterlogged.

The concern right now is specifically corn," McQueen said. Without rain in the next two to three weeks, there's going to be a significant yield loss."

Soybeans, which need moisture when they flower in August, have a better chance at survival, but McQueen said some soybean fields are already in bad shape because the early June heat wave coincided with planting season.

The scorching June temperatures also didn't do Haldimand's wheat crops any favours. Throughout the month, some wheat fields lost 10 per cent of their potential yield - or 10 bushels - each week because of the heat. Harvest started on Tuesday, and McQueen isn't encouraged.

We're actually extremely disappointed in the wheat," he said. Some fields are 40 per cent lower than expected. The quality also isn't amazing."

The parched grain is lighter, which means a lower price at the processor and potentially a negative effect on the quality of products like flour.

Definitely isn't a positive," McQueen said.

No matter what they grow, every farmer in Haldimand-Norfolk has their fingers crossed that the forecasted rain this weekend turns up.

I'm hoping it rains a lot," Boyd said. But we'll take anything."

J.P. Antonacci's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.