Locally-grown sweet corn harvested early at some London-area farms

Sweet corn season has arrived earlier than usual this year, with one London-area farm reporting a harvest roughly a week ahead of schedule.

It's the same story with other produce as well, said John Roberts, the co-owner of Adelaide Farms in Arva, just north of London, which has been buzzing with customers looking to shuck some cobs.

"The potatoes are a little early, they're four or five days earlier than normal. Sweet corn's seven days earlier," Roberts said. "Cabbages are probably earlier than normal. The guy we get peaches from, he says he's a good five, six days earlier than usual."

The farm has been at the corner of Adelaide Street and Eight Mile Road for more than 40 years, growing various produce including broccoli, carrots, corn, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

Asked how long it had been since he had last seen produce this early, Roberts replied, "A long while… maybe 20 years."

"We don't get the harshest winters," with a lot of frost on the ground, he said, "so the ground dries out quicker, and you're on the land a lot quicker."

London Morning8:17The impact of heavy rainfall on southwestern Ontario farms

With record rainfall in recent weeks, some farmers are dealing with flooded fields. London Morning host Andrew Brown met with Carl Merrick, the vice chair of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers Association, at a sweet corn crop to learn more about flooded farmland.  

Senior agronomist with Grain Farmers of Ontario, Marty Vermey, said a majority of farmers north of London have had a good growing season despite higher rainfall amounts.

"If [they] planted early this year and got really lucky – and not a lot of farmers did, but a few did because they got planted early in May – with that little extra heat units, they are ahead of schedule," he said. 

The winter wheat harvest is also about 10 days earlier than normal because of the mild winter and earlier planting, he said.

Farmers to the south and west of London have had a harder time, including through the Glencoe area, and the southern part of Middlesex, because of the heavy rain the region has seen.

Vegetable crops typically thrive with solid rainfall thanks to lighter, porous soil, which allows the water to drain away faster. However, recent totals have been "too much of a good thing," Vermey said.

According to Environment Canada, roughly 244 millimetres of rain has fallen on London since the start of June, including 110 millimetres this month, forcing some farmers to re-plant their crops.

Farmers in soils with poorer drainage, like the Brookston Clay found in Essex and Lambton counties, have also been struggling, he said.

Ontario Morning8:47How increased rain this year is affecting grain farmers

Director for the Grain Farmers of Ontario, Jeff Harrison, speaks with host, Nav Nanwa, about issues that come up with the immense amount of rainfall we've had this year.

In contrast, Norfolk County farmers who've had less rain and are growing in lighter, sandier soil, have had a "tremendous corn year," bolstered by more days of favourable temperatures.

"I wouldn't say the corn crop, in general, is earlier. I would say sweet corn that farmers plant on lighter soil... those crops are probably early," Vermey said.

The early harvest has been a boon for lovers of sweet corn and locally grown produce. Roberts says this week has been one of the busiest the farm has seen in some time.

"They're very shocked that the corn's ready now," he said of customers visiting the farm. "Once the corn comes in, everybody's loving the corn."