Farmers predict bountiful crop if weather holds

It's only half way through the growing season but farm crops across the (Prince Edward) Island are blossoming towards one of the best yields ever-as long as the weather holds.
That's why few growers out there want to make any predictions that might jinx the pending 2009 harvest.
"So far so good but agriculture is a tough business,'' says William Visser while rouging at one of his potato fields near Orwell. "It all depends on the weather."
And while the weather has brought plenty of moisture, farmers are anxiously awaiting more heat and more sun.
"Overall it's been okay,'' says Mike Nabuurs at the PEI Federation of Agriculture. "But we really need a nice stretch of sun and some dry hot weather."
Nabuurs says the sun has only visited a day or two in a row before back to rain. He said a good week to help dry things out a little would be worthwhile especially for grain farmers.
Potato growers are already dealing with some cases of blight in fields across the province due to the moisture and Nabuurs said farmers are persistent about keeping the disease under control.
"Potatoes like rain,'' says Visser in a field where the rows are bright red with water. "But there's a right amount, and a wrong amount."
His son Mitchell and daughter Jessica are helping out and pull a potato plant loaded with spuds from a healthy looking field on the Vernon River road.
"It all depends on what August brings," says the veteran grower pushing back a straw hat from his brow. "Things could be quite good this year if we don't get a repeat."
Visser is referring to last August when a deluge of rain and thunderstorms swept across the province drowning low lying fields and turning tonnes of potatoes to mush.
Western PEI growers say the crop is on target and doing well and some even use the word "tremendous" when it comes to healthy growth and development. A good price is hoped for as well since PEI is growing its smallest crop in years. Some estimate total acreage (last year was about 95,000) will drop below 90,000 acres this year.
Bud the Spud still leads the pack, but Dean the Bean is closing in. A record number of soybeans are being grown with about 40,000 acres in the ground this season. Soybean is a welcome crop especially since every part of the bean, from fresh, to crushed, and to offal is used in some manner in the food system.
Visser is growing some for Atlantic Soy and says it's a good rotation crop for potatoes and has considerably less input costs such as fertilizer. And as well, soybeans don't have any problem with rain.
But while Island potato growers have cutback acreage in the hopes that prices increase, there is some concern that other parts of the country may be planting extra and could affect price if too many tubers hit the market.
"All crops need more sun and heat, but especially the veggies,'' said Nabuurs. "The veggies are okay but they don't get any bigger without heat."
New crops like cranbee and calendula are also progressing well and Nabuurs said such alternative crops are proving worthwhile and interesting for farmers to add a new portfolio to their farm production. -The Guardian