It takes more than hail to put a damper on Doug Edgar's spirits.
Since May, the Innisfail area has seen five hailstorms, each of which has left a destructive swath in its path. Edgar Farms has seen damage in each of those storms.
“This last hailstorm did the most damage of any this year,” said Edgar, the owner of Edgar Farms, located 10 kilometres west of Innisfail. “We got hit on both the Wednesday and Friday (August 6 and 8) and twice earlier in July.
“Usually we get six weeks of asparagus, and due to the hail, we got five weeks,” he added. “With our peas and beans we have been able to pick for nine weeks but an early hailstorm took out the plants and with three weeks of growth we only managed one good week this year to pick.”
The area farmer added that while his value-added crop does bring better prices, the loss of weeks of income was something he described as “a lot”, with as little as 10 per cent damage -- enough to write off his produce.
“In addition to our asparagus, peas, rhubarb and beans, we also grow grain, which was also damaged,” said Edgar. “With the hail coming down as hard as it did, there are fields around us that look like they've been combined. There's nothing left in some of the fields. Even the pastures have been damaged.”
He pointed out that with the grain loss, his silage production would also suffer, and to make up the difference, he might have to turn his remaining crop into silage for his animals.
“Everything works together, but we aren't the only ones who got hit,” said the farmer.
He looked ahead to the 2015 crop year saying that with the hail damage to the asparagus field that was producing, and the new planting they had done this year, it would take years to recover.
“Asparagus is a crop that takes three years to be harvested, so damage this year will still be damage next year. It might take up to four years to be back to normal,” said Edgar of the cumulative effect.
In addition to his crop damage, Edgar's buildings and vehicles were damaged as well.
“We've already had the insurance adjusters out and they have been very good to us,” added Edgar. “Now we have to wait for the crop insurance folks.”
Other west area farmers had severe damage as well, with house windows being smashed and siding damaged by the golf ball sized ice chunks.
“Our dugout, which is usually ringed by tall grass and filled with cattails was mown down by the hail,” said area resident Ley-Anne Mountain. “The stalks were nearly sheered off, and the grass looks like we scythed it.”
In spite of the hail damage, Edgar Farms plans on going ahead with the Asparagus Festival next year and the various educational tours they have booked such as the Country Drive.
“Part of the tours and festival is that we are able to educate our visitors from as far away as Calgary and Edmonton about farming, and how their food is grown. We find that once they realize how much work it really is, they are very loyal to us,” said Edgar. “They also realize why quality vegetables can cost so much more.”
While the damage to his crop was large and a final dollar value was yet to be determined by the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) adjusters, he still looked to the future optimistically.
“We will survive,” said Edgar, adding his AFSC insurance will cover his input costs on his crop losses. “We've been doing this for a long time, and have been through times like this before.”
