It’s slim pickings at some apple orchards this year. This is the reason

Severe droughts in parts of Canada mean this year's apple and pumpkin picking season may be cut short due to low crop yields, leading many to have to diversify to stay afloat.

Fall has officially arrived in Canada, but things may look a little different this year for those hoping to pick apples and decorate their homes with pumpkins and other seasonal staples.

Significantly less rainfall than normal across parts of Canada, including on the East Coast, has led to lower crop yields, which could mean fewer apples and pumpkins.

“It’s been tough with the drought because the trees were stressed, and they just dropped apples,” says Mat Kelly, who co-owns Cannamore Orchard near Ottawa.

“The harvest (this year) is much smaller, the apples are sweeter, and a lot of them aren’t pretty. There’s a lot of defects in the apples because they weren’t getting the water they needed when they were growing.”

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, at the end of August, 71 per cent of the country was classified as “Abnormally Dry” or “Moderate to Extreme Drought,” including 70 per cent of the country’s agricultural landscape.

In addition to lower crop yields brought on by less rainfall is the impact of what officials say was one of the worst wildfire seasons on record this year, and has been fuelled by a combination of hot and dry conditions because of the minimal rainfall.

“Much of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have had, very, very dry conditions, and more of their crops have been lost due to wildfire damage than drought itself,” says Suzanne Fournier, director of the National Farmers Union in New Brunswick.

These poor conditions mean a wide variety of farms have been struggling to grow crops this year.