Nocturnal frost, cold spring, torrential rains, drought, oppressive humidity and heat: the bad weather of the last few weeks follows one another and is not alike. However, they have the common point of giving a hard time to Quebec agricultural producers, who have experienced a disappointing season so far, but above all out of the ordinary.
“This is our worst year since we’ve been in production! Even if we don’t have the damage, the stress is still there,” says Marielle Farley, co-owner of Potager Mont-Rouge, in Montérégie.
In business for more than 35 years, the Rougemontoise has never seen such a series of bad weather succeed in such a short time. “The problem is not the last rain as such, it is the addition of everything that has happened since the beginning of the year. With experience, we are able to deal with these phenomena, but it is rare that we experience all of this in the same season, ”continues the vice-president of the Union of agricultural producers (UPA) Rouville. .
The president of the Producers of fruits and vegetables of transformation of Quebec, Pascal Forest, abounds in this direction. “As a producer, I have nearly forty years of experience, and I can tell you that we haven’t seen that often, [une météo] up and down likewise. It’s rarely seen. If there are those who still doubt climate change, they are really too skeptical! he blurts out.
The strong winds, even tornadoes, of the last few days have shaken the fields. “The plans have been shuffled, it causes bruises, adds the producer from Lanaudière. We’ve seen cornfields where everything has been folded completely horizontal. The corn is not dead, but it will not be easy to harvest and the plant will remain in a weak position for the rest of the season. »
undrinkable rain
The large amounts of rain, which fall in a very short time, are the source of much devastation in the fields of the province, so much so that some crops will fail.
“A producer I know saw 90% of his 150 hectares of production flooded. This is the third time this has happened to him. Everything he planted is practically finished,” laments Mr. Forest.
In an ideal world, he says, a field needs 25 millimeters of rain per week. “But in the last two weeks, we must have received 200 [millimètres] divided into three or four episodes. The other day I received 32 millimeters in 15 minutes. It’s starting to do a lot, ”notes the president.
The harvest of green peas is currently in full swing; however, between 12% and 15% of provincial production has literally gone down the drain.
“Out of about 7,000 or 8,000 acres in production, there are almost 1,000 that have been abandoned due to excess water impeding harvesting or machinery. These are very great losses, ”illustrates Mr. Forest.
Robert Brien, co-owner of the L’École du 3 vineyarde Rang, in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford, in Estrie, was able to avoid the worst.
Although its vines have not suffered from the vagaries of the weather in recent weeks, cherry production has perished following the spring frost and its apple and pear trees have been victims of abundant rainfall.
“The fruits will be bigger, but the rain also brings a lot of diseases,” notes the winemaker. It makes us work non-stop. »
The situation is hardly more encouraging on the field crop side, but the carrots are not yet cooked.
“We are at a critical point at the moment, and I admit that I am starting to be afraid,” says Jean-François Ridel, grain producer from Saint-Césaire and president of the UPA de Rouville.
“Normally, we have to harvest [le blé] during the week. If the grains were already mature, with the rain, they will have germinated and they will no longer be fit for human consumption, he explains. We could always resell it for animal consumption, but it sells for much less. For soybeans, when it’s too wet, it facilitates fungal diseases. »
More expensive fruits and vegetables
At the Potager Mont-Rouge, Mother Nature has damaged some trees in the orchards. The strawberries came out of the ground a little later and in smaller quantities. The corn field was also less generous, due to frost, but also heavy rains.
It is therefore necessary to expect to pay a little more to obtain market garden products, both at the newsstand and at the grocery store.
“It doesn’t make me happy to raise my prices, but I can’t afford to sell a dozen ears of corn at $5, I wouldn’t even cover my production costs, illustrates Mme Farley. Already, to have products, it’s luck. »
“The consumer gets less for his money, but so does the producer,” recalls Pascal Forest. Us, in times like that, all our marbles are on the table. »