Rain Keeps P.E.I. Growers Out of Fields

Published online: Sep 25, 2019 Articles, Potato Harvesting
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Source: CBC News

Island potato farmers are hoping Tuesday's heavy rain isn't a sign of things to come.

About 7,000 of potatoes were left in the ground last fall when rain and cold weather made it impossible to harvest them.

Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, said this year growers have already dealt with a dry summer, post-tropical storm Dorian, a frost and now heavy rain.

"Hopefully it's not déjà vu of last year. It started to rain in the fall and really didn't stop until things froze up. We do not need anymore winds, rain or frost for the next month or so."

The Environment Canada forecast for Tuesday had three-quarters to an inch and a half of rain falling during the day, and another half to three-quarters of an inch overnight.

Donald is hoping the ground will be able to absorb a lot of the moisture. He said if that's the case, producers will likely be looking at an average crop this year.