January thaw, a ‘win-win for everybody’ according to agriculture officials

The large amounts of snow have brought much-needed moisture into the ground.

With double digits and a January thaw, it may make things a little messy but people who grow our food say it’s just fine with them.

Those in the local agriculture sector say some people may think the harsh winter could spell trouble for our crops come spring but the experts say that’s not the case.

“I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” said Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture President Dave Ritchie said. “The blanket of snow protects the winter wheat and what not and it’s also a cushion for the open land so it doesn’t blow away in the cold winter.”

Ritchie said the snow provides extra moisture for the ground during the winter months.

“After last summer with the drought that we had here in Simcoe County with different parts, we sure as heck need the moisture in the ground and boost up the water table so we can, hopefully, have a real super crop season coming up,” he said.

Maple syrup is always the first crop to be harvested every spring. And all eyes are on what this year will bring. While we’re still several weeks away from tapping, local producers say there’s no worries with the fluctuating temperatures just yet or the heavy snow counts. However, the recent ice did cause some issues.

Greg Bray from Maple Heights Farms Innisfil said, “The ice coating that came down on our main lines did cause a bit of a snag so we have to go out and then re-support those so we get the right angle for the flow again.”

Bray also said heavy amounts of snow could also be good for the harvest.

“The drought from last and then our weak fall colours - I think that probably affected our sugars a little bit,” he said. “All this snow is probably going to help us in the long run because we are going to need the moisture in the ground. And hopefully, it will stretch our run out a little bit so it doesn’t go so quick that we get a big warm up in the spring.”

There are 1,800 farms in Simcoe County, which generate $1.2 billion of economic activity every year. Farmers represent about 8 per cent of the local work force.