Author: Rachel Wadden
Date: January 28th, 2024
Area of Impact:
Atlantic Canada
Article Information and Location:
Corn Crop Ready Earlier than Usual
Heather Senoran, CTV News, July 11, 2024
INTRODUCTION
For Canadians, summer 2024 has delivered a collection of extreme weather. From torrential rain to suffocating heat, it is becoming difficult to remain positive while facing the realities of climate change. But this may only be the case for some. While most eastern Canadians dread the weekly weather forecasts, some local farmers have been reaping the benefits. The heat, rainfall, and sunshine crafted the perfect growing season for corn, resulting in an early and abundant corn season.
INFORMATION AND SIGNIFICANCE
Sweet corn, a popular grain grown in all Canadian provinces, can be enjoyed boiled on the cob, cut into salads, or baked in delicious breads. For Ontario, corn harvesting begins late into summer and continues throughout the fall. The record-breaking heat and rain conditions of May and June (2024) provided ideal crop growth conditions, says the E.D. Soulis Memorial Weather Station at the University of Waterloo. Therefore, the heat, sunshine, and rain that may have caused trouble in the daily lives of most were a gift to farmers and their corn crops. However, not all agriculture benefited from this weather. Whereas corn, pumpkins, and squash love these conditions, strawberries suffered from the intense heat this summer.
CONCLUSION
2024 is witnessing the earliest corn crops in the last twenty years, a fact that leaves farmers and corn lovers elated but progressing in a climate narrative that is hard to ignore. While the increase in heat, humidity, and rainfall may be aiding our grains and gourds, it is proving harmful to strawberries and human life.