Sweltering dry spell harming crops
‘Worst season in decades,’ farmer says
THE FRUSTRATION in John Vuckovic’s voice is palpable.
His hope fades with every passing day — watching his crop shrivel and dry up as a result of little to no rain and consistently high temperatures.
A second-generation farmer, Vuckovic says he’s clinging to his “sense of humour” to pull him through what many farmers are saying is the “worst season in decades.”
“You wake up early, look at the crop and you want to give up. It’s depressing,” he said of his 3,000-acre West Lincoln farm, which includes corn, soy and wheat.
A Drought Watch map issued by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada suggests the region from Toronto west to the Niagara Peninsula has received between 40 to 60 per cent of its average precipitation between April 1 to July 21.
“A lot of families are depressed. The
crop insurance does help but it doesn’t save you,” Vuckovic said.
Growers who have irrigation systems say their situation would be much worse without them.
“We’re saving a lot of things that would be lost for sure,” said Denise Trigatti of Manorun Organic Farm.
The Copetown farm’s spring-fed pond was described as a “blessing,” helping feed about 40 acres of vegetables and keeping animals cool and hydrated.
Chris Krucker, Trigatti’s husband, said the last time they had rain was about three weeks ago, which when combined with the ongoing heat, is putting stress on the plants, resulting in a smaller yield.
“Some crops are getting knocked out,” Krucker said.
“Carrots are slow; the greens are also slowing down because they don’t like this kind of heat.”
Jerry Winnicki, an agronomist for Clark Agri Service, said some producers won’t have a harvest this year.
“It’s getting past desperation. It’s scary now. When you can’t get water, what do you do?”
The situation was compounded by a “dry fall and winter,” which
meant there was little moisture in the ground by the time spring arrived, he added.
“At least 50 per cent of soy beans right now, I predict, will not be harvested.”
Climatologist David Phillips of Environment Canada says in the past 37 days, Hamilton has seen about 20 per cent of the rain it normally receives this time of year.
For example, from July 1 to July 22, 18 millimetres fell, compared to the typical amount of about 78, he noted.
To make matters worse, sweltering temperatures are causing any amount of moisture in the ground to evaporate. The reason it’s so humid? It’s peak growing season, which means even the “crops are sweating,” releasing moisture into the air, Phillips said.
On Friday, the temperature in Hamilton soared to a high of 33 C by 3 p.m.
Compare that to the last recordsetting July 22, which was 33.9 C in 2011.
Phillips says, statistically, this weather isn’t unusual. With no rain in the forecast, it will “get worse before it gets better” over the next few days.
Golf courses are also feeling the heat and lack of rain, including the city-run golf courses of Chedoke (Martin Golf and Beddoe Golf ) and King’s Forest.
Rob Gatto, manager of sports and entertainment facilities for the city, says his department is in “a watermanagement and energy-conservation mode,” continually monitoring the amount of water used to keep the tees, fairways and greens healthy.
“We water throughout the night and do a five-minute cool-down if the greens get too hot.”
Otherwise, Gatto said, despite the weather, “the course conditions are good right now.”
In response to the sweltering heat, the medical officers of health for Hamilton and Halton extended their heat warnings into the weekend.
The city is also asking Hamilton residents to help save trees by watering new and mature trees located on and around their property.