Farmers on Prince Edward Island are struggling in what they say is a very dry growing season, according to a report by the CBC.
The Island has had a lot of hot, dry days and not much rain — in some cases, just 20 per cent of what’s normal. CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland says spring and summer have been very dry, especially in western P.E.I.
The potato crop is struggling in some parts of the Island, as rainfall throughout the summer has been spotty. At Countryview Farm in Newton, where co-owner Gordon McKenna measures rainfall, he said there’s been just a fraction of what’s needed. “We’re just praying that August is a little more gentler on us.
The next few weeks will be crucial for potato farmers. That’s when the potatoes need the moisture to get to a decent size.
Ryan Barrett, research and agronomy co-ordinator with the P.E.I. Potato Board, says “We’ll also likely have issues with quality — so things like scab on potatoes or some other sort of physiological defects with the potatoes are more likely when it’s been dry.”
Source: CBC. Read the full report here
Photo: ‘This season has been by far one of the driest seasons we’ve seen, ever,’ says Gordon McKenna at Country View Farms in central P.E.I. (Stephanie vanKampen/CBC)
