Eyes are on the skies as growers and shippers working with the Northeastern U.S. and parts of Canada watch as hazy skies, thanks to wildfire smoke from Quebec and Ontario, hang over the regions.
In Stanley, New York, Eric Hansen of Hansen Farms LLC says the air quality isn’t slowing down its production at all right now. “We definitely have the conditions here, but we are working like normal. I don’t expect any crop effects at this point,” he says.
In Ontario, Cathy McKay of the Ontario Apple Growers and a grower with Nature’s Bounty Farm says she’s seen a decrease in the amount of sunlight getting through. “It’s like having a number of cloudy days for the trees and the reduced ability to do their photosynthesis. It stresses them somewhat. They have their little fruitlets right now, which may cause a bit more thinning activity which can be a good thing because hand thinning is expensive,” she says. “To me, if we were growing stuff in a greenhouse, it would be like if you turned the lights down a little bit--it’s like that for plants.”
Needing precipitation
Leading up to the wildfires in Quebec and Ontario, of course, have been a lack of rain and dry conditions. “So I’m not sure if there’s any significant amount of particulate matter on the leaves. We have not had rain to wash it off, so that’s another factor in this,” she says.
A smoky surreal view in Binghamton, New York. Photo: U.S. National Weather Service
“At this point, we don’t see this negatively affecting things,” says Bill Nardelli Sr. at Nardelli Brothers in Cedarville, New Jersey. “It seems to be a little worse in New York and North Jersey than it is down here. Down this way, in the southern end of New Jersey, we’ve been relatively fortunate.”
Of course, when it comes to air quality, worker safety comes to mind as well. In New Jersey, New Jersey Farm Bureau president Allen Carter released a statement advising that caution be observed with outdoor activity yesterday and until the wildfire smoke conditions are alleviated. “We’re concerned about the air quality for them, so we’re suggesting they wear protective masks, and we’re only trying to work in the morning and be finished up by the middle of the day,” says Nardelli Sr., adding that it’s currently harvesting its wet commodities including lettuces, parsleys, cilantro, beets, radishes, and cabbages. “Just from the way the smoke has developed here in South Jersey, it progressively gets worse over the day.”
Looking ahead
While that’s the case right now, growers will remain on watch to see how the smoke continues to move. “At this point, it’s more of an inconvenience, but if it were to continue over the next few weeks, it would be more of a concern. Depending on the winds in the next few weeks, it’s hard to say how things could or will be affected,” says Brett Kast, vice president/orchard manager, Kast Farms Inc. in Albion, New York.
In the short term, as Tim Mansfield of Sun Orchard Fruit in Burt, New York, notes, there’s no effect on the apples. “They are still in an early stage,” he says. “If there is smoke later in the season, it could affect the coloration and Brix development some, but that would only be in August and later months.”
For more information:
Eric Hansen
Hansen Farms
http://hansenfarms.com
Cathy McKay
Ontario Apple Growers/Nature’s Bounty Farm
www.onapples.com
Bill Nardelli Sr.
Nardelli Brothers
https://nardellibrosinc.com/
Brett Kast
Kast Farms Inc.
https://crunchtimeapplegrowers.com/
Tim Mansfield
Sun Orchard Fruit Co.
https://www.sunorchardapples.com