Nova Scotia

Annapolis Valley farmers spared damage from post-tropical storm Teddy

Teddy brought a deluge of rain and a powerful storm surge to Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, but farmers in the area are breathing a sigh of relief because winds were not as powerful as expected.

'It definitely could have been much worse,' says vineyard manager

apples on a tree and on the ground
Teddy knocked some apples to the ground but most remain on these trees in the Gaspereau Valley near Grand Pré, N.S. (Paul Withers/CBC)

Teddy brought a deluge of rain and a powerful storm surge to Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, but farmers in the area are breathing a sigh of relief because winds were not as powerful as expected.

"It definitely could have been much worse, we didn't see those winds they were predicting at all on our properties," said Geena Luckett, general manager at Luckett Vineyards in Wallbrook, Kings County.

About a quarter of the grape crop had already been harvested at Luckett Vineyards. But the grapes are sitting in a warehouse without power. That brings another concern.

"As long as we can keep those doors shut to keep the temperature cool in there then they should be fine for at least another day and by that point we're really hoping that the power is back on," said Luckett.

Seventy-five millimetres of rain fell in the area over 24 hours.

Some fruit producers brought in what crops they could to avoid them being damaged in the storm.

"Some of the apple crop, a lot of the guys went through in the last few days and picked out a lot of their higher value apples," said Victor Oulton, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. "I think most of the corn crop seems to be still right."

Oulton was reached late Wednesday morning as post-tropical storm Teddy was still moving through the Eastern Shore of the province and Cape Breton Island.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Palmeter is an award-winning video journalist born and raised in the Annapolis Valley. He has covered news and sports stories across Nova Scotia for 30 years.