Selkirk-area farmer says entire field wiped out by hailstorm
Darren Bernhardt | CBC News | Posted: August 25, 2023 6:59 PM | Last Updated: August 25, 2023
'My heart's on the ground about it, but you gotta get up and keep going,' says Curtis McRae
A field of canola that was set to be harvested at the start of next week is now in ruins after being battered by Thursday's violent hailstorm.
"My heart's on the ground about it, but you gotta get up and keep going, because there's still harvest to be done," said Curtis McRae, who farms west of Selkirk, Man.
He grows six different crops on his fields, but the canola just happened to be the best of the bunch.
"It's the only crop that was doing well in this [summer's] drought," McRae said.
A line of thunderstorms started around 6 p.m. Thursday near Lake Manitoba and moved east through Selkirk and the northern part of Winnipeg.
It unleashed winds of 90-100 km/h with a gust around Dugald that peaked at 133 km/h, Environment Canada said. It also brought rain and hail, which was driven at great speeds by the wind.
The hail pounded McRae's canola, knocking all the seeds from the shells and leaving the crop beyond saving, he said.
"We watched the black cloud coming and we were hoping it would miss us to the north, but it kept creeping south. And then the wind started, the rain started, and then near the end of the rain, the hail started," he said.
Typically, hail will last two or three minutes, but "this hail dragged on for what seemed to be forever," McRae said.
Environment Canada said the hail associated with the storm ranged from nickel- to golf-ball-sized. McRae estimated the stones that hit his crop to be about the size of a quarter.
"They weren't huge, but their velocity was very big," he said.
He estimates his loss on the canola will be at least $250,000. He hasn't been able to check crops on other fields because they are accessed by dirt roads that are too wet and soft at the moment.
"It all will have some damage, it's just a matter of how much. But they just won't be as bad," McRae said. "This one's been really beat up."
He started harvesting some fields that were in the path of the storm last week. Fortunately, those crops were gathered and are safely stored in the bins.
The canola field will still face the combines but not to harvest — rather to simply clear it away.
"We're already at the point now that we're farming for next year," McRae said.
As for his machinery, McRae said it wasn't damaged to any degree that has affected its ability to function.
"I mean, if it's got some dents in it, well, that's farm equipment," he said.
Then a little dark humour came out.
"The upside to this is that my management decisions can't wreck this crop much more."