The Holland Marsh Growers Association estimates there are approximately 200 acres of carrots still in the ground locally
and farmers are waiting for the snow to melt before they pull them out.
Eek Farms was only two or three days away from completing its harvest when the frigid temperatures and snow fell on the fields. Now, the local farm is waiting for the snow to melt to pull out about 15 acres of carrots. At full market value, that’s about $35,000 worth of carrots buried under snow.
Each harvest has its own set of challenges, said Avia Eek. This year, for example, one field at Eek Farms was re-seeded about six weeks after its normal date after the first crop was damaged by hail in the spring. That same field was held off as one of the last to be harvested and got buried by snow.
“There are farms out there that have 20, 30, some guys have 40, further north, one guy has about 50 acres to go,” said Holland Marsh Growers Association chairperson and local farmer Alex Makarenko.
Despite the snow, Makarenko said farmers won’t be hit too hard
According to Avia Eek, the best-case scenario for her farm is for the ground to thaw this weekend and then she can harvest the carrots Monday to Wednesday.
If the conditions are ideal, the carrots will go into cold storage as usual.
If there is frost damage, they will have to go to a processing facility where the damaged product will be cut off and the remainder diced, for products like soups and frozen vegetables.
http://www.simcoe.com/community-story/5153512-acres-of-carrots-remain-in-ground-after-snowfall/
Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link
“If this trend continues, people will indeed be fighting in the streets for food,” says Argiris.
