Annapolis Valley

Farmers struggling with waterlogged crops after rainy start to summer

Farmers struggling with waterlogged crops after rainy start to summer

He said this is the wettest start to the summer he's ever seen, which has stopped crews from getting into the fields to pick the produce. The rain is also washing away pesticides that protect tree crops. "Every time we've gone into the orchards to mow or spray or do anything, it's rotted it up or just everything's gotten washed off, so it's definitely been challenging," he said. Spurr said he expects that could create quality issues with their harvest this year. Jordan Eyamie, the manager at Webster Farms, is facing the same problems. Her farm grows strawberries and raspberries. She said her farm has been struggling to protect the strawberries — which are ready to harvest — from something called Botrytis rot brought on by cool and wet conditions. "It's like a grey mould and that can be a season-ender if you can't get it under control," she said.

Nova Scotia farmers worried about water use amid dry spring

Nova Scotia farmers worried about water use amid dry spring

A Nova Scotia farming group is concerned about the amount of water being used for agriculture this spring, but a provincial hydrologist says underground water levels are normal for this time of year. The current conditions have prompted Agriculture Canada to classify much of Nova Scotia as "abnormally dry," and categorize Truro and part of the Annapolis Valley as having a moderate drought. "It's getting to a point now where things are really drying out," said Allan Melvin, a sixth-generation farmer from the Annapolis Valley and president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.