SWEET CORN SUFFERS
WESTERN ONTARIO REPORT (the Eastern Ontario report follows):
NORFOLK COUNTY — Dry conditions across a lot of Southwestern Ontario challenged sweet corn producers this summer, with outcomes varying based on access to irrigation, soil conditions and rainfall received.
At Welsh Bros in Norfolk County, one of Ontario’s largest sweet corn producers, Charles Welsh described the season as demanding but manageable. According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada precipitation mapping, Norfolk County received only 60 to 85 % of average precipitation in the 60 days leading up to Sept. 1. Nearby Brant County — just over the county line from the Welsh Bros operation in the town of Scotland was as low as 40 %.
“It has been very dry, but we are very, very lucky that we have spring-fed ponds so we can irrigate,” said Welsh, who farms 600 acres of sweet corn southeast of Brantford.
This year, the operation relied more heavily on its traveller irrigation systems, dragging a “gun cart” and attached four-inch hoses to regularly spray water over 300-foot widths. This intensive irrigation made the crop “very expensive” to produce, Welsh said, but ensured a high-quality harvest. He noted that a cold spring delayed early corn, while three weeks of excessive August heat caused a “crunch” in timing: The early-planted crop arrived slightly late while later plantings came early. Yields averaged out, with some fields excelling and others underperforming, he said, which is typical for the operation that supplies independent grocery stores and farm markets.
In Cambridge, Tim Beirnes of TJ’s Farm Fresh reported a solid season despite a 20 % yield reduction in dry conditions. Growing 50 acres of sweet corn without irrigation, Beirnes said the farm benefited from soil with good water retention properties.
“We went through about 3 weeks of pretty hot dry weather,” he said, but the husks on his harvested corn stayed “nice and green” through a season that has kept his family “busier than ever.” Demand for their sweet corn, sold exclusively at the farm, has been strong.
The first of the farm’s 14 sweet corn varieties hit the market around July 16, slightly ahead of the usual July 20 start, despite a cool, windy May. Beirnes sells corn at $10 per dozen, with any surplus donated to the food bank. Other crops like garlic and onions thrived, with Beirnes calling this year’s onions “the best quality I’ve ever grown” due to timely harvesting before recent rains.
James Roberts of Adelaide Farms, north of London, faced tougher conditions without irrigation on his 7 acres of sweet corn. “I’ve never seen it this dry for this long,” Roberts said, yet he was surprised by decent cob sizes and great taste.
Although the actual corn was great, the husks that were drier than usual at harvest, giving the impression that the cobs hidden inside were “more mature” than was actually the case. “So maybe that’s been turning people off a little bit, but it’s been super, super corn,” Roberts said.
The crop started a week late due to a cold May, but yields held up better than expected on better soils, though hillier patches showed stress. Roberts sells corn at $7 per dozen, with a wholesale price of $5 for orders over 10 dozen, all through the farm’s retail store.
EASTERN ONTARIO REPORT:
INGLESIDE — Amid a parched summer that left much of Eastern Ontario begging for rain, sweet corn producers reported mixed results, with some facing smaller cobs, reduced yields and even bird invasions as the drought took its toll.
At Seven Acres Family Farm at Ingleside, co-owner Greg Rombough described the season as “very discouraging for sure.” After 32 years of growing sweet corn, Rombough reported never seeing a year like this. “Things are dry. It’s hard to keep things watered … and things have not developed as they should,” he said.
Rombough estimated his sweet corn yield at about half of normal, further diminished by persistent bird damage. “The other field crops are not developing, so the birds are not moving on (from the corn), so they continue to stick around and eat the good stuff,” he explained.
Because of lower yields, the farm stopped supplying local grocery stores to prioritize its own farmgate sales. This year’s harvest started four to five days late on the farm’s seven acres of sweet corn featuring several varieties. While cobs from irrigated patches look “pretty good,” the cobs overall this year were a little smaller and “not as tasty, but still pretty good,” he said.
Rombough said the farm moves reel irrigation across 50 acres of crops including squash and pumpkins. In the dry conditions, “you just don’t stop … and you can’t keep up,” he said.
Corn sells for $8 a baker’s dozen at the farm.
At Dentz Orchards and Berry Farm at Iroquois, co-owner Cathy Dentz said the drought had a noticeable impact on the farm’s sweet corn, which is not irrigated, as the summer progressed.
The Dentz operation plants sweet corn every two weeks to keep an ongoing supply for farmgate sales through the season. While earlier pollinated ears were “bigger and better and more filled out,” Dentz noted that the cobs got smaller with more recent pickings. “They still taste great” and remain “juicy,” she added.
A recent rainfall received one day the previous week was “really welcome,” she noted, adding that this year’s challenging weather also affects the field tomato crop. The tomatoes in the field were at least two weeks behind in maturity because of the cold wet, spring followed by the extreme heat of this summer.
The Dentz family’s sweet corn prices have remained unchanged for three years despite rising input costs: a dozen for $10.50, half dozen for $5.75 and $1 per cob.
Not all growers felt the pinch equally. At Cheer Farms in Brighton, co-owner Kimberly Cheer reported a solid season with “really nice sweet corn.” Growing close to 20 years without irrigation, the farm takes “it as Mother Nature gives it to us,” she said.
The Cheers’ sweet corn harvest began just “one day later than we were last year,” she said, and the farm benefited from brief, timely showers. “Half an hour here, 20 minutes there.”
Flavour remains strong, drawing “repeat customers, sometimes daily,” Cheer said, adding that field tomatoes were ripening “right on time” and with plenty coming in.
Cheer sells corn at $12 per dozen, $6 for half and $1.25 per cob.
