One of our favourite farmers, Merle Bowes from Limekiln Gardens, contacted us and said he would not be attending the Carleton Place Farmers Market this week. Merle has very little in produce to offer because of the current drought situation happening in Eastern Ontario.
Mr. Bowes is worried customers will think he isn’t coming back to the market, so we need to set the record straight. I don’t know if you know this but, Merle is one of the founding farmers of the Carleton Place Farmers Market-that’s 25 years folks that he has been serving up freshness to Lanark County.
Farmers in Eastern Ontario say they’re in “dire need” of rain in the next “week to ten days,” or they risk losing up to forty per cent of their crop. The hot, dry summer has devastated many crops in eastern Ontario, hurting both grain and livestock farmers who rely on grains for their feed. If corn crops fail, it could have a huge ripple effect because corn is also used as fuel and feed for cattle. On Friday, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority declared a “moderately severe” drought, and data from Environment Canada shows the Ottawa International Airport recorded the driest May since 1959.
Hay isn’t growing, transplanted onions from the farmers greenhouse to the field, have quickly “wilted” and “bent over” because of the lack of moisture in the ground. Did you know The Rideau Canal system is at full navigation level but, if drought conditions deepen, boaters on all lakes will need to keep an eye open for shoals and rocks as levels continue to drop. Ontario’s minister of agriculture is warning that the dry weather dominating the province will lead to higher food prices in the fall.
Merle will be back joining the rest of our current farmers at the Carleton Place Farmers Market when crops are yielding– so come support our farmers at the market this Saturday. They go through a lot to give you the opportunity to eat fresh! Keep checking the Carleton Place Farmer’s Market Facebook page to find out what is happening with Merle and what’s on at the Carleton Place Farmers Market.
Come visit us Saturdays at the Carleton Place Farmers Market from 8:30-12:30- Check it out here!
lindaseccaspina 