Decent summer and fall and weather made for 'acceptable' growing season, Thunder Bay farmers say

After a wet, snowy spring that delayed planting by two to four weeks, Thunder Bay, Ont., farmers say a decent summer and a typical fall made for a growing season that was adequate if not exceptional.

"It's been acceptable, average – I'll use mostly positive words, but … no superlatives," said Belluz Farms co-owner Kevin Belluz. 

Root crops such as carrots, beets and potatoes did well, Belluz said, because they had enough moisture, and pests such as potato beetles were less of an issue than they've been in the past.

Given the late start to planting, however, only about half of the farm's pumpkins and squashes ripened before they had to be picked, he said. 

"I'm trying to use the word 'average' instead of 'mediocre,'" he said of the yield. 

Grain crops, he said, were satisfactory – a sentiment shared by Brule Creek Farms owner Jeff Burke, who grows wheat and canola in Kakabeka.  

"Surprisingly, the crop is good. The quality seems good. And we're not as far behind as I expected," he said, adding that he's currently about halfway through harvesting.

At Pitch Creek Farm in Nolalu, where snow collapsed two greenhouses in the spring, and early summer winds further damaged other structures, owner operator Brandon Harris said things had improved. 

"We just had our first frost [Thursday] morning, which is late for us. So it gave the plants some opportunity to carry on growing," he said.

Regular rains also saved the farm from having to do as much irrigation, he said.

And while cool weather slowed the growth of some plants, lettuces, carrots and potatoes did well – though beets were hampered by insects and rodents. 

The late spring had forced Harrison to postpone the start of his spring community supported agriculture (CSA) program, which allows customers to pay in advance for shares of a farm's harvest before the start of a season.

But, he said, the fall CSA launched on schedule and was expected to run for five weeks without any snags. 

Sleepy G Farm in Pass Lake is gearing up for the start of its winter CSA on Oct. 19.

The winter squash harvest turned out okay, according to co-owner and co-founder Marcelle Paulin, but she said it's still a bit wet to harvest potatoes and other root crops. 

"It's been rather disappointing," she said of the growing season. 

"I was really hoping for a bit of an extended warm season, but things have turned out to be a little bit chilly. The wind has been cold. It's been wet."

Heavy rains in mid-September lead to issues with blight on leafy vegetables, and several items, including lettuces and broccolini, haven't grown as quickly as Paulin was expecting them to due to the recent cool temperatures.

She said she expects the overall harvest to be decent, but the farm will likely earn less than it did last year.

Last season was particularly strong, she said. 

"Some years you win some, some years you lose," she said.

"You grow a variety of crops, and sort of spread the risk over several different crops, and hopefully in the end, it'll all kind of balance."

Harris said it's still too early to tell how Pitch Creek will make out financially, and whether it will help make up for the rough start to the season.

"The storage crops are looking good," he said.

Season won't be 'make-or-break'

"If we get a nice mild, October, November, it gives our lettuce, spinach, arugula, radish and some of the other stuff that we have outside – it gives them a good opportunity to grow. So we'll make a little bit more."

Burke said high grain prices will help his bottom line, but the price of fuel will cut into his profits – though he is able to reduce fuel consumption by mixing diesel with non-food-grade canola oil he produces on the farm. 

Belluz also said that input costs from items such as fuel and fertilizer would impact the farm's profits. 

"I think … yields were enough that it's not going to be make-or-break for most farms, that's for sure," he said.