'Quality is king': P.E.I. sees increase in irrigation applications after tough season

Some farmers in Prince Edward Island say they don’t want to take any chances when it comes to the possibility of another drought this year.

After a dry summer in 2025, the P.E.I. government said it has seen an increase in applications for irrigation wells as farmers look to ensure their crops get the water they need for a strong season.

Derrick Curley, owner-operator of Monaghan Farms in Norboro, said his operation has applied for 14 new wells — something that's uncharted territory for the business.

“We found in the last a handful of years, the weather has become more and more unpredictable and it's starting to hinder our quality,” Curley said.

“For us, quality is king, yield is secondary. So with the back-to-back years with some dry weather and some complications on quality, it's very important for us to bring our quality back ... so we can stay in these markets.”

Most of the potatoes produced at Monaghan Farms are exported to be made into potato chips.

Without adequate moisture, Curley said, some potato varieties become more prone to bruising, resulting in a “chip defect.”

Droughts can also interfere with internal sugar processes, which can cause the chips to turn brown.

Curley said yields during last year's drought were down 25 per cent on average.

Sean Ledgerwood, manager of water and air monitoring with P.E.I.'s Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, said the province has received about 120 applications for irrigation wells since August.

He said there's a two-step process for well applications that involves a groundwater exploration permit, then a permit to withdraw the water.

“The ones we're talking about [are] just the exploration permits," he said of the 120 applications. "Historically, probably only about half of those actually go and end up having a water withdrawal permit where they actually extract water from the well.” 

Monaghan Farms currently has three wells approved. Curley said they want to add more.

"We ... put 14 applications in just to kind of see where we would end up as far as getting approved," he said. "Ideally, yeah, we would get ... at least 10.”