Farmers hoping for heavy rain as potato yields down

A lack of rain is causing potato yields to be down on P.E.I. this summer, says the chair of the P.E.I. Potato Board.

Jason Hayden said potato farmers are harvesting about two-thirds of what they normally get at this time of year.

"It's extremely dry and a very light crop," he said. "I haven't seen it this dry I don't think since 2001 when we had a major drought. It'll vary across the Island but it is dry everywhere."

Though the Island has had some scattered showers recently, he said it's not enough to get to the roots of the potato and help the crop.

"It's very serious. As we slip through August and into September without any substantial rains it's very difficult to get a good crop," he said.

Hayden said there hasn't been enough moisture in the ground for about a month, and farmers are hoping for a "two-inch rain" in the near future to help salvage the fall crops. But he expects the overall yield to be down.

"I would be pretty confident in saying at this point it will be down."

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