Province should aid farmers

Farmers hard hit by killer frosts twice this past week should get help, if needed, from the Nova Scotia government.

Record-low temperatures wreaked havoc on many agricultural crops, from blueberries to grapes, in Nova Scotia overnight Sunday.

In fact, destructive, and enduring, below-zero temperatures blanketed all three Maritime provinces well into Monday morning, causing many farmers across the region to fear crop losses that could hit 90 per cent.

“In the (30 years) I’ve been in this gig, I’ve never seen such a widespread killing frost in June,” Saltwire meteorologist Cindy Day said this week.

Then more frost hit overnight Wednesday. It was less widespread and not quite as icy — therefore, thankfully, less damaging.

The unusually low temperatures for this time of year destroyed or damaged many crops’ vulnerable blossoms. Fields and orchards in lowlying areas, where the cold air pooled for hours overnight Sunday, were hardest hit.

Farmers and provincial officials agree it’ll take weeks to assess the full extent of the damage.

At least some farms had crop in- surance, which is subsidized by both Ottawa and the province. But others, such as many blueberry producers, did not.

In the case of blueberry growers, in a sector already reeling due to disastrously low prices these past few years that have already put some out of business, many producers looking to trim their losses reportedly skipped buying crop insurance in 2018.

This year’s frost will no doubt sink others in the absence of provincial assistance.

Nova Scotia Agriculture Minister Keith Colwell is right to point out that crop insurance needs farmers to participate in order to work. But exceptional circumstances call for flexibility.

Thankfully, Colwell says his department is going to work with farmers to see what else can be done.

According to Day, the worst is definitely over. Though June will remain cooler than normal, she says we’ve seen the last of the killer frosts.