Coldest July in 17 years

July was cold and wet and miserable.

By the end of July, farmers in east-central and eastern Ontario had lived through the coldest summer in 17 years, said Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips.

At the same time, both regions experienced 50 per cent or more rainfall than normal. July was the second wettest on record for eastern Ontario. Some areas of eastern Ontario saw twice as much rainfall as normal.

Some farmers left cut hay in the field because it never dried. But many are optimistic, hoping for a warmer, drier fall to still produce a good crop year for corn and soybeans. "It’s never over until it’s over," says Renfrew County crop farmer Larry Reaburn. "There will be good fields and poor fields. In the big picture it could hurt."

"It’s been rain non-stop since June. We’re lucky to get one hour of sunshine in a day," said Alfred hobby farmer Janice Winsor. She added that in the middle of July a neighbour was trying to get off a cut of hay on about 50 acres. "He cut it. He raked it. Then it rained non-stop. Now, it’s garbage."

Thanks to reserves from last year, hay shortages have not been reported.

Not only are heat units down because the skies filled almost daily with bulging dark, grey threatening clouds, but many areas are seeing rainfall four or five times a day.

Glengarry County farmer Shawn McCrae says he hopes that the crops will still turn out a good average. On one piece of land it rains and on another it doesn’t, he said. "Every farm has its own story. Because of summers like this I don’t grow hay."

Moose Creek crop farmer Alain Leduc said "fields are super-wet" but a warm, dry fall can turn things around, if the frost holds off until mid-October.

"A September frost will hurt this crop," he said.

Suprisingly, the Lindsay-area has been dry, said agronomist Neil Moore. "We need to crank up the heat," he said, agreeing that farmers have been lucky before with nice fall weather to catch up on heat units. As of July 27, the accumulated heat units were 1640 for the Lindsay area, he said. But the long-term average for the season to the end of July is 1787.

Kemptville-based OMAFRA crop specialist Gilles Quesnel said that on July 27 corn was behind in growth by about five days worth of heat units.