Strawberries smaller this year due to lack of rain

The president of the P.E.I. Strawberry Growers Association says this year's yield has been smaller than usual for most growers on the Island. 

Matt Compton said the berries themselves are smaller this year, because of the lack of rain. 

• Where have all the growers gone? Strawberry acres down by almost half

He expects lower revenue this year on his own farm in Summerside, though it will still be successful. 

"The dry weather has certainly affected the size of our fruit," he said. "Instead of taking maybe 20 strawberries to fill a box or 15 big strawberries to fill a box it's taking probably double that so you're going a little further to get a box, which means you're going over your field the same amount of times, probably, but you're not getting the quantity that you normally would." 

Demand high

Depending on when growers started their season, some may still be helped by rain, he said.

He said despite the smaller berries, demand this year has been very high, which has been good for growers. 

"I've never seen such demand for strawberries, this year," he said. "We can't keep up, and our fields aren't keeping up, just with the lack of rain that we've had. People aren't probably getting as many as they'd want to because we don't have as many on our shelves as we'd like to see." 

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | $30M resort planned for Tracadie Harbour
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Imported dogs need better medical screening, veterinarian group says