We’re closer to June than we are to April — yet until Tuesday, spring seemed distant.
Nowhere is that more obvious than in Surrey farmers’ fields. While optimistic vegetable farmers have planted some of their crops, much of Surrey’s farmland hasn’t been touched by machinery yet this spring. The land is wet because of the incessant rain, and the cool weather makes it uncertain that seeds will sprout or transplanted plants will thrive.
It’s been a cool and rainy spring. Some mornings have hovered on the edge of frost. The steady flow of rain has made it tough than usual to farm.
But farmers are an optimistic lot, and they will be out in their fields this week during what is expected to be a spell of good weather. Some will be cutting grass for their livestock; others will be plowing their fields and preparing to plant crops. Those with plants which have been growing in greenhouses will be transplanting them into fields as soon as the land is prepared.
Surrey has an impressive agricultural sector, something that many of its urban residents are mostly oblivious to. The farm land base is large, and drainage improvements have meant that some areas which were often too wet to cultivate in the past are now available for crops.
I made a trip south of Cloverdale on Tuesday, and observed that some vegetable farmers have planted as many plants they can, given the weather conditions. Others are ready to plant any day. The rich soil in that area is often conducive to as many as three crops each year, and the industrious farmers are able to work the land to its maximum.
Surrey’s few dairy farmers run large operations, and most have vast tracts of land used for grass and corn production. It’s been hard to plant corn, which needs a certain level of heat in the soil for seeds to germinate, but it is likely many farmers will be planting very soon.
The grass used for silage is growing, although not quite as quickly as in other years, and it will soon be cut down. While some will be fully cured as hay, most will be harvested partially-dried and stored in the large plastic-covered bales that have become the norm in recent years.
Dairy cows, most of whom stay in their barns at all times, will also receive freshly-cut grass as part of their diet.
Blueberry farmers have been preparing their plants for what they hope will be a good harvest. Pollination may be a bigger challenge this year, with so many rainy and overcast days.
One farm sector that rarely misses a beat due to weather is the burgeoning greenhouse industry. Consumers have already been enjoying hothouse tomatoes and peppers grown in Surrey and other parts of the Lower Mainland, and those will continue to be produced for the rest of the year.
Greenhouses used for flowers, ornamental plants and other nursery stock are also in full production. This is a major component of Surrey’s agriculture industry.
Back yard gardeners, of whom there are many in Surrey, are watching the weather as anxiously as commercial farmers. Some have planted crops; many have prepared the soil for an onslaught of seeds and plants that is likely to take place in the next two weeks.
Weather is often a challenge for agriculture, even in this area with its mild year-round climate Farmers don’t automatically expect good weather — but they do hope for it, and take full advantage of it when it arrives.
We will soon be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour, and purchase their produce at farmer’s markets, roadside stands, produce stores, supermarkets and other locations. It’s one of the best aspects of the summer season.
Frank Bucholtz writes Fridays for the Peace Arch News. He is the editor of the Langley Times.
