Cold snap freezes early asparagus harvest in Norfolk

Plunging temperatures have halted an unusually early asparagus harvest in Norfolk County.

Three weeks ago, it looked like asparagus was going to be early this year," said farmer Marc Wall, co-owner of Sandy Shore Farms near Fairground.

Encouraged by unseasonably warm weather, asparagus spears began shooting out of the ground well ahead of schedule.

And that was concerning, as everyone's got to get their labour in," Wall said on Wednesday.

Well, I woke up this morning to about five inches of snow."

The sudden snowfall may have actually helped the early crop survive - some of it, anyway.

We're hoping those little spears poking out of the ground are actually insulated by the snow, to try and save them," Wall said. But anything above that snow line is completely toast."

Spring freezes are not unprecedented, but Wall said the wintry scene that greeted him in the fields on Wednesday was a first.

I've never seen it before where there's snow on my asparagus spears," he said.

Wall expects this cold snap, followed by warmer temperatures next week, will put asparagus back on its usual timeline of an early May harvest, with local stalks likely to hit store shelves around May 15.

And then the following week we're typically in full production and things are going crazy around here," he said.

Weather isn't the only factor that will determine the success of this year's harvest. The pandemic continues to present challenges for asparagus farmers who rely on migrant farm workers from Mexico and the Caribbean to pick the crop.

Even though it's a bit heartbreaking to see those spears get frost damage, that's one side," Wall said. The other side is, thank God, cold weather buys us some time to get our guys in and get ready for the season."

In a typical year, Wall employs 180 migrant workers as part of his 300-strong workforce - 150 in the packhouse, 150 in the fields - with locals filling the remaining jobs.

This spring, some migrant workers have had issues leaving their home countries, from paperwork problems to what Wall described as COVID complications."

Wall expects 120 to 130 migrant workers will eventually make it to his farm.

Ontario's roughly 90 asparagus growers - the majority located in Norfolk - are preparing to be without at least a quarter of their usual offshore workforce.

For us, labour determines what we can harvest and what we can pack. It's our limiting factor," said Wall, who farms 300 acres of asparagus and does the processing and packaging for six smaller growers with a combined 350 acres.

There are locals willing to come out and do the job, but over time, that local labour force has diminished," he said. That's where this offshore program is so key to our agricultural industries. These guys are here to work. And they do make a lot of sacrifices coming here."

If the asparagus harvest is cut by a quarter, what ends up in stores could cost more, so what farmers lose on volume they hope to recoup through the price bump.

The thing is, farmers don't give up that easily. It's about carrying on," Wall said.

If the overall profits are a little bit lower to make this work, so be it. There will be better days coming."

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.