Canada (BC): Dry summer impacts produce industry

The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia is one of Canada’s largest fruit producing areas. It lies between the Columbia and Cascade mountain ranges and due to the region’s sunny and dry climate, it is very suitable for fruit production. “Cherries, apples and wine grapes are the main crops,” says Erin Carlson with the BC Cherry Association. “In addition to cherries, other stone fruit varieties grown in the Okanagan Valley include apricots, nectarines and peaches.”

“We are experiencing a very dry summer in the Okanagan Valley, but that is not uncommon for us,” says Carlson. “The fruit industry heavily relies on irrigation, but the farmers in this region all have their systems set up.” Fraser Valley on the other hand, which is further west towards Vancouver, is experiencing an unusually dry summer. “In this area, many farmers don’t have irrigation systems set up as the area traditionally receives more precipitation,” commented Carlson. “Fraser Valley farmers are having a hard time getting enough water to their crops this season. Some farmers have had failed crops and haven’t seen proper rain since April. The snowpack this past winter was very low and the spring runoff was very early. This combination has led to very little extra water in reservoirs,” Carlson mentioned.

A combination of unusually warm temperatures, lightning and strong winds have fueled forest fires in the Okanagan Valley region and other parts of British Columbia. “Burn bans are in effect in all regions,” said Carlson. “Although the forest fires may not be burning fields, the lack of water in the air, mountains and fields is starting to become a problem for many farmers,” she finished.

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Erin Carlson