Fuel and fertilizer prices could be holding some farmers back from capitalizing on what is turning out to be an ideal growing season.
Just ask the owner of Randsland Farms in Canning, N.S. The farm grows cabbage and kale, but broccoli is their main crop.
“It’s been a phenomenal growing year so far. We’ve had a good amount of rain and that rain is followed by some really awesome heat so it’s caused really quick growing and great quality,” says farmer Andrew Rand.
But the cost to plant, harvest and ship their produce has risen, and like most farmers, the Rands have had to cut costs.
“This is a year where we’re being a little bit conservative with some of the inputs,” Rand says. “Being well aware of how much fuel you might be using, how much fertilizer you might be applying, that’s definitely on the mind.”
FACTORS THAT HAVE FORCED A NUMBER OF FARMS TO SHUT DOWN
“Most provinces in the Atlantic have lost at least 20 to 25 per cent of all their farms since 2016,” says food industry expert Sylvain Charlebois.
Some of those who remain are changing what they grow in an attempt to minimize their losses.
“There’s less grain corn for example being grown in our province but more soybeans. Soybeans require less input, a little less fertilizer,” says Tim Marsh, the president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.
It’s a series of adjustments on the fly as farmers try to make ends meet and survive for another season.
Charlebois says another financial hurdle for farmers is Wednesday’s interest rate hike. He says it will be especially difficult on new or young farmers who would be carrying a higher debt load.
