According to The Times & Transcript, Serge Bourgeois’ farm in Grand-Digue, New Brunswick only had a quarter of its usual crop because of the warm winter, the cold snap in March and the lack of rain this summer.
The paper reported that cyclamen mites were a problem for Leopold Bourgeois Memramcook and the grower expected only a third of the strawberries on La Fleur du Pommier would be harvestable.
This summer’s humid weather was ideal for cyclamen mites that nestle in young strawberry leaves and buds, Provincial Crop Development Officer Gerard Thebeau said. He told the newspaper that other insects including the black weevil were also causing problems for farmers.
The corn harvest was delayed at Michaud Farm in Bouctouche. Christian Michaud told The Times & Transcript July 23 that he’d been forced to irrigate his potatoes.
Before the July 24 rain, Robert Bourgeois was worried about his young apple trees in Memramcook. He told the newspaper that for the first time in years an irrigation machine had been employed at Belliveau Orchard and to compound that felony, it broke.
Bourgeois explained with an shortage in parts of the United States and Quebec, he expected apple prices to be higher this year.
Not all New Brunswick farmers have been adversely affected by the weather. Kent County enjoyed a combination of sunshine and rain this summer. The Pumpkin Lady Martha Bowman told The Times & Transcript that her corn and vegetables were “doing well.”
The paper also reported that the organic vegetable, fruit and herb crops at Windy Hill Farm in McKees Mill “looked good.”
