Wet summer affecting some N.B. crop yields and the ability to harvest them

Smaller and fewer. 

That pretty much sums up this year's blueberry harvest, said Oak Bay blueberry farmer Todd Tuddenham.

Tuddenham said a number of factors have combined this year to reduce the size of the crop that he and other Charlotte County producers are currently harvesting. 

He said cooler temperatures, higher-than-normal rainfall, and a late frost that "wreaked havoc" on the blossoms have all affected Tuddenham Farms's yield. 

And things are so wet in the fields, that Tuddenham is worried that the berries will overripen and fall off the bushes before they can be harvested. 

Normally, he said, they don't harvest their fresh crop when the berries are wet because it makes handling, processing and packaging very difficult and often results in berries that split open — something consumers aren't fond of. 

Frozen berries "are a little more forgiving," he said. 

Tuddenham estimates the sale of fresh berries will be about half of what they usually see. 

And with little heat and sunshine this year, he said the berries didn't get a chance to "plump up" either. He said he wants customers to understand that the wet season means the fresh berries may not be up to their usual standard of quality. 

But the general manager of Bluets N.B. Blueberries said it's too early to judge the season. 

Donald Arseneault said he's "not convinced yet" that it will be a poor season for blueberries in New Brunswick. 

While some in the south may have experienced the same conditions as Tuddenham Farms near St. Stephen, Arseneault said some northern New Brunswick growers are expecting bumper crops. 

Average year expected overall

While Arseneault said it's unlikely to see last year's 77 million pounds of berries, he fully expects to see the province hit its annual average of about 55 million. 

In fact, one co-operative in northern New Brunswick that represents several growers told him they expect to harvest five million pounds this year compared to last year's 2.9 million. 

"Obviously it's different in any part of the province just because the climate is different in every part of the province," said Arseneault. 

While most of the province has experienced a wetter-than-usual summer, some places are significantly wetter than others, said Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Hubbard. 

The weather station at the Saint John airport showed the biggest increase in rainfall this summer. Since June 1, 640 millimetres of rain was recorded, while the period normally sees an average of 271 millimetres, said Hubbard. 

That's an increase of nearly two-and-a-half times the normal amount of rainfall. 

During the same period of time, Moncton saw 359 millimetres of rain, while the average is 268 millimetres, an increase of 34 per cent. Fredericton received 428 millimetres, when it normally receives 261 millimetres, or 64 per cent above normal. 

In the northern part of the province, Bas-Caraquet received 390 millimetres of rain since June 1, which is 55 per cent above its average of 251. 

Edmundston, however, saw only a five per cent increase on its average of 305 millimetres for the same period. Since June 1, it has seen 320 millimetres of rainfall. 

Other crops affected

A lot of farmers have lost significant portions of their crops because of all the rain. Seeds were washed out before they could take hold, while other plants simply haven't thrived, resulting in lower-than-normal yields. 

Anyone with a low spot in their lawn knows how difficult it's been to get mowing equipment through those areas. Increase the scale of that for farmers, and some sections of hayfields have gone uncut, while some crops are simply inaccessible to harvesting machinery. 

One of New Brunswick's largest exports isn't exactly experiencing low yields as a result of the rain, but wet conditions are making the harvest a lot more difficult, said Susannah Banks, the executive director of the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners, which advocates for the province's 42,000 woodlot owners. 

Banks said the wet summer has had an impact on operations, particularly logging roads that have gotten really muddy. 

"You build a forest road, you don't build it to highway standards, and so when it gets a lot of rain on it, it's very soft."

She said the heavy equipment needed in the industry does a lot of damage to the roads.  

Banks said there are areas that can't be harvested because they're so wet, so owners have had to leave those sections with the hope of returning to them when the ground dries out. 

One of New Brunswick's other big exports — potatoes — is faring well so far, despite all the rain, said Matt Hemphill, executive director of Potatoes New Brunswick. 

"We have been fortunate thus far, lots of growing season left, however," Hemphill said in an emailed response. 

"We escaped any frost damage over the last couple evenings and the long-term forecast looks like it's in our favour."