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HB NEWS HOT. DRY SUMMER HURTING FARMERS REDUCED HARVEST HAS LED TO PRICE INCREASES REETI ROHILLA rrohilla@metroland.com Plenty of heat and little Tal That — along witha lack “This year the biggest Farm Market manager Katelyn Allison, whose Georgetown farm grows sweet corn, pumpkins and sunflowers while also of- feringa wide range of fruits. and vegetables. "A good combination of rain heat is needed for the crops to grow.’ Abnormally dry weath- er in Oakville and Burling- ton, and a _ moderate droughtin Halton Hills and Milton was indicated as of July 31 by the Cana Drought Monitor, available vernment of Can the Go ada's website. The probability of ab- no} ry ather is forecast as a one in every three years, while a moder- ate drought is a one in ev- ery five-year event. Environment and Cli- Canada's said the first half of August received 18.2 millimetres (mm) of precipitation, which is only a quarter of the long-term average of 78.1 mm. July had 43.6 mm of precipitation, with the long-term average at 75.7 mm. “March is the last month bit more than normal pre- cipitation. Every other mth then we've been consistent drier’ than ls Christine Allison photo Allison's Farm Market co-manager Christine Allison is among dry summer. Allison's Farm Market co-manager Christine Alli- son said for the remainder of the harvest season — which run: m May to the end of oem _— 25.4 mm of weekly rainfall would be ideal. “Every- thing is much smaller this year and there is not an abundance of it,” Christine said. "Last year some corn stalks had two cobs, and each one had at least one. But this year we are pick- the Halton farmers who've been challenged by an especially impacting the storm sys- tem is the position of the jet stream, which has been no- tably further north to us. The jet stream can act asa wheel for the Satins systems," Coulson aid. Jet streams are known ot be harrow bands of the upper bie ‘of the the atmosphere. oan previous years of e rainfall, Christine said they would manually ing about 'y few stalks." Due to decreased har- vest resulting in lesser sales, Christine said the prices of several ae have gone up 15 cent. This nudes thine in- house products and those sourced from more than 10 other local farmers also af- fected by scarce rainfall. Having lost two weeks of the sweetcorn season with an overall decrease in sales by 15 per cent resulting from the reduced rainfall, Christine estimates a" "pret. ty big loss” this year. Coulson said one of the main factors affecting the lack of rainfall is the irreg- ular movements of the storm systems over south- ern Ontario during the last few months. "The factor kin crops through a giant water tank driven around on a wagon, which is "a lot of work and a lot of money." ugust is usually a re- ally dry month so we might have to use the tank and wagon for our’ pumpkins this year again," she said. Milton's Wheelbarrow ards co-owner Brad Fraser said the lack of rain has been “challenging.' However, since he faced substantial crop damage due to frost in the spring of 2021, he's looking forward to a better overall season this year with the expecta- tion of seeing his ; biggest p! less rain we have the s\ ter the apples are," Fraser RENEW YOUR SPIRIT. REFRESH YOUR LIFES IYLE. It's a perfect time to make a fresh start. At Amica Georgetown, you'll find the premium lifestyle you're looking for, the social connections you want, and care personalized to your needs. Find out how Amica can help you make this a season of opportunities. Join us for a tour. AMICA GEORGETOWN 224 MAPLE AVE * AMICA.CA/GEORGETOWN INH UONEH - dl UL | 6 a Fy 2 a S = g Es iS a iS 8 8 8 eordyouy