P.E.I. potato farmers concerned about wet conditions as harvest begins
CBC
The potato harvest is just about to get underway in many parts of P.E.I., and many Island farmers are wondering what all the rain this summer is going to mean for this year's crop as they head out into the fields.
Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, said the crop is looking good, but not as good as last year when it was almost an ideal season.
"I think we had every bit the crop, the potential, as last year. But with the ongoing cooler and wet weather, I think that's going to affect some of the productivity," Donald said.
Donald said harvesting will be more difficult this year due to the excessive moisture, meaning operations will slow down.
The weather may have also damaged the crops, he said.
"Potatoes that are in very wet conditions, there can be issues with tuber rot, especially in the high-risk areas, in low areas or poor-drainage areas of the field."
Donald said producers will pay extra attention to the wetter parts of their fields and take precautions.
"They will identify those areas of the fields before harvest, and watch those areas very closely," Donald said.
"If there's some issues, they'll perhaps leave those and harvest them later, segregate them in their potato warehouses and manage them differently, maybe with more ventilation. And in some cases, may decide to leave them in the field."
Donald said the wet conditions could affect the bottom line for farmers, should they need to cull the damaged potatoes.
"The best we can hope for is that from this point on, we get warmer than normal temperatures, sun," Donald said. "We don't need any more rain this fall."
There have been other years with wet conditions that disrupted the potato harvest.
In 2018, there were 7,000 acres of potatoes left in the field as the cold and rain that year put an early end to the harvest.
Last fall, potato producers were dealing with the aftermath of post-tropical storm Fiona.
More details are now available about how a farmer's field in south London will be transformed to shelter up to 60 homeless people starting in January.
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after an officer involved shooting at Danforth Go station early Saturday morning, said Toronto police.
Thousands are without power across Newfoundland this morning due to severe weather conditions, including high winds and cold temperatures.
The federal government says roughly half of the workers expected to be laid off at Algoma Steel will be eligible to be rehired by the end of next year.
Almost a year and a half after pieces of the Mont-Blanc were discovered during dredging in Halifax harbour, plans are taking shape for what to do with some of the wreckage from the famed ship involved in the Halifax Explosion.
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after an officer involved shooting at Danforth Go station early Saturday morning, said Toronto police.
Montreal officials will hold a ceremony to mark the 36th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre today.
The City of Regina's proposal to build a roadway through the McKell Wascana Conservation Park should be discarded, local conservationists say.
A holiday event that began in 2020 during the pandemic with three floats on pickup trucks has now become one of Kelowna’s big winter events, drawing thousands to the city’s downtown core.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.