THUNDER BAY — The unusually chilly spring may cause the development of some local crops to be delayed by as much as two weeks, says one veteran area grower.
"Most crops are looking pretty good right now, just behind schedule by seven to 14 days due to cool weather," Kevin Belluz said on Wednesday from the Belluz Farms operation in the Slate River Valley.
According to Environment Canada's website, the mercury is set to rise to 15 C in Thunder Bay today, about six degrees cooler than normal for this time of year. Officially, the first day of summer is one week away.
The city and surrounding areas experienced high levels of rainfall in April, which helped keep farm fields damp in time for crop planting.
But currently, "it is dry, so more moisture will be necessary soon to get yields close to normal," Belluz said.
Thunder Bay received only 15 millimetres of rain last month, less than a quarter of what the city normally receives in May.
In June, the city usually has more than 80 mm, but there's only been five to 10 mm across the city so far this month.
Belluz said more rain is also needed so that farmers can harvest the first cut of hay and other feed-crops for livestock.
Meanwhile on Thursday, the province announced $1 million so that 18 farms in the Timiskaming-Cochrane area that are on clay soils can install tile-drainage systems.
Farms in South Gillies also have clay soils, while Slate River Valley fields are a combination of silty-clay and loam.
The Chronicle-Journal / Local Journalism Initiative
