After my usual 50-minute commute home from work Tuesday stretched to nearly two hours, I bemoaned the onset of winter weather on P.E.I.
We all know it’s coming, but those first storms of the season always seems to catch us by surprise.
On my commute, traffic moved at a snail’s pace, a correct response that most (sadly, not all) drivers made to the slippery, snow-covered roads. A half-hour delay to allow first-responders to deal with a collision just down the highway was a sobering reminder of the changing seasons.
Inclement weather is on everyone’s mind these days, but probably none more than potato growers who may not be able to harvest the last of their crops.
“It’s almost a helpless feeling,” Arlington farmer Bryan Maynard said in a recent interview. “Every day that clicks by on the calendar is a day closer to freeze-up and that’s when it’s all over.”
At that point, the Maynards still had 100 acres of potatoes in the ground. Thankfully, neighbouring farmers brought in their equipment on a few of the rare good days to help with the harvest. That kind of camaraderie isn’t unusual in the Island farming community and would certainly be a morale-boosting gesture in what has been generously described as a “challenging” year.
The summer, when rain was desperately needed to size up the crop, was unusually dry and the fall, when dryer weather would allow for a timely harvest, has been abnormally wet and cold.
Maynard told Journal-Pioneer reporter Eric McCarthy this year’s harvest has been torture for farm equipment, farm workers and for the travelling public.
“It’s not good for anyone, but this is what Mother Nature’s dealt us and it’s what we have to deal with.”
In the legislature this week, Agriculture Minister Rob Henderson said about 10 per cent of the 85,000 acres of potatoes have not been harvested due to inclement weather. He said government is anticipating making some pay-outs to farmers suffering losses not fully covered by crop insurance.
Good.
An economic impact study commissioned by the P.E.I. Potato Board several years ago found the industry generates more than $1 billion for the province, creates more than $245 million in household income and more than 8,000 jobs, about 12 per cent of the province’s total employment. It also represents nearly 11 per cent of the province’s gross domestic product.
Taxpayer’s dollars are carved up in many ways, but giving a small slice to growers who may be coming up short at the end of this forgettable season is the right thing to do.
Most of the farms are family-owned and operated, and highly mechanized. They’re a vital part of rural P.E.I. They need to stay on the land doing what they do so well – producing a quality product that’s respected around the world.
Hopefully, the weather they’ve had to deal with this growing season and throughout the harvest doesn’t become the rule rather than the exception.
Motorists have options when the winter weather settles in early: install winter tires in October, leave home earlier and drive slower – or stay at home.
Potato growers don’t have that luxury and when they’re not able to complete the harvest, through no fault of their own, government must step in to help.
It’s a good and necessary investment.
- Wayne Young is an instructor in the journalism program at Holland College in Charlottetown.
