Weeks of gloomy and wet weather across Saskatchewan have slowed down one of the province’s most popular summer crops.
Berry Barn, located southwest of Saskatoon, says its Saskatoon berries are ripening about seven to 10 days behind schedule after a spring and early summer marked by rain, humidity and lack of sunshine.
Grant Erlandson, co-owner of The Berry Barn, said the berries are usually much further along in ripening by early July.
“Yeah, it definitely slowed us down,” Erlandson said. “We’re probably seven to 10 days behind, and if there’s no sun here, it could be longer.”
Erlandson said Saskatoon berries grown on the farm are usually turning purple and entering ripeness by now. This year, he said, the harvest is uneven.
“Right now they will all turn almost purple at a more mature stage,” he said. “Right now we have one weird one in the purple stage, we have a few in the red stage. They’re all over the map.”
He said that means the season likely won’t be as clean as even first-time producers are hoping.
“I don’t think there will be a good harvest this year,” he said.
Berry Barn grows about 18 acres of Saskatoon berries and typically harvests between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds per season. Erlandson said last year was a bumper crop, with some berries left in the bushes due to lack of storage space.
This year he expects the harvest to be below normal range.
“I think we’ll be on the lower end of 15,000 to 20,000 this year,” he said.
The problem wasn’t just the rain, Erlandson said. The biggest problem is prolonged cloudiness.
“It basically stopped their operations,” he said. “They don’t develop very quickly because of the rain and things like that.”
He said Saskatoon berries prefer hot, dry weather.
“They’re a dry berry, so they like it hot and dry and they ripen quickly,” he said.
If the wet weather continues, the disease could become an even bigger problem due to humidity and excess moisture, Erlandson said.
Environment and Climate Change Sunday’s forecast for Saskatoon, Canada calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 25C, with sunny or clearing expected early in the week.
This is exactly the weather Erlandson is hoping for.
“I’m hoping for about 14 days of similar weather as today: warm, sunny and maybe a little more wind,” he said. “That would be ideal—in the 25 to 30 range.”
He said customers are already asking when they can start collecting items.
“There are a lot of very dedicated people, and when they come here in the first half of July, they will be ready to hit the ground running,” he said. “The berries aren’t ready yet, but the public is ready to go.”
Erlandson said he hasn’t seen anything like this in years.
“In all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never seen a year like this,” he said. “Maybe 25 years ago, maybe, but I’ve never seen a single instance where we had that many days in a row without sunshine.”
The greenhouse strawberry farms were also damaged. Erlandson said they were producing consistently until last week, when the lack of sun slowed their efforts.
“They look sad without sunlight,” he said. “We were collecting pretty consistently until last week, and then they just closed, waiting to get some.”
He said raspberries appear to be on schedule, with the harvest typically ready around the second or third week of July.
For now, Erlandson said people hoping to pick Saskatoon berries will have to wait a little longer.
“I think at least 10 days,” he said. “That’s where we’ll end up before we even start choosing.”