Tough year for high value crops
Saskatchewan’s fruit and vegetable sectors are still accessing their losses, but 2010 has been a difficult year. Fruit producers in central and northern regions of the province are reporting very little production this year and many have lost plants due to flooding. Province wide, it’s believed that production may be as little as 10 per cent of what would normally be expected. Vegetable production has also been hit with flooding and disease. Fruit and vegetable production in this province is dwarfed by grain, oilseed and specialty crops, so fruit and vegetable problems don’t get much attention, especially in a year when everyone has had trouble. However, fruit and vegetable growers don’t have the crop insurance coverage that grain producers do. In fact, statistics are so lacking that it’s even difficult to quantify the magnitude of this year’s production shortfall versus a normal year. On top of it all, perennial plants are likely to be hurt for multiple years. With high value crops on relatively small areas, assistance like the $30 an acre Excess Moisture Program provides very limited support. I’m Kevin Hursh.