Ontario apple farmers hope weird winter weather won't damage 2016 crop

Ontario apple farmers are crossing their fingers and hoping this year's weird winter weatherwon't damage the province's $60-millionapple crop.

A superEl Niohas climatologists forecasting a delayed winter with rising and falling temperatures, which could affect many fruitand nut-bearing tree crops.

A sudden freeze onMay 23, 2015, wiped out half of Ontario's apple crop this year, affecting farmers across the province, including in Eastern Ontario.

The same kind of incident in thespring of 2012 led to the demise more than 80 per cent of that year's crop.

Ifextreme temperatures over short periods of time reoccur this winter, that could be bad for crops.

Apple trees need consistent cool winters

Apple trees need long periods of coldtemperatures to go into full dormancy during winter. Theyalso needs at least a 48-hour transition to safely change from above freezing to extreme freezing temperatures, according to the chair of Ontario Apple Growers, Charles Stevens.

There's not a lot you can do about it, but it's certainly on our minds.- Apple farmerChris Hall

"If the temperature drops too drastically too fast, that water doesn't have time to drop down to the roots, and then you get freezing of the buds, or the tissue," Stevens said.

"It's just kind of a wait and see [situation]," said apple farmer Chris Hall."There's not a lot you can do about it, but it's certainly on our minds."

Hall grows mostly McIntosh and Honeycrisp apples on his orchard, Hall's Apple Market, near Brockville, Ont.

2015 a bad year for apple farmers

Hall was hoping for a better year in 2016 after losinghalf his 2015 crop to the May frost. But hebecame concerned about the potential for another hard year after hearing about cherry tree blossoms appearing in Washington, D.C.before Christmas.

"The concern for me would be if we don't get that full dormancy until late January, early February, a sudden cold snap could cause some issues."

He and some of his neighbouring orchard owners are also concerned about a winter featuring many ups and downs in temperatures.

"Trees are pretty hardy, and they can take a cold snap, but you don't want them to wake up and go to sleep and wake up and go to sleep. That's hard on the tree."

El Nionot historically a problem

Stevens, who has been apple farming over 40 years withWilmotOrchardsnear Newcastle, Ont., said winters fuelled byEl Niohave not historically been a problem for farmers.

But he doesrecall a Christmas Eve in 1981 where temperatures rose to 10 Conly to drop to 25Cthe next day, causing buds to freeze, killing trees and wiping out a large portion of the crop for the following season.

"I don't believe, with El Nio, we'll see those extreme cold temperatures this year," Stevens said.

Many apple farmers across the province applied for crop insurance funded by farmers, as well as the provincial and federal governments to stay afloat through2015.

The cost of claims for 2015 had not yet been determined in time for theOntario Apple Growers annual report, but that same report stated the total amountclaimed in2012 when frost took out more than 80 per cent of the cropreachedmore than $25 million.