Gone in 60 seconds: Hail destroys Essex County farmers' entire apple crop
After a severe storm, every variety of apple has been down-graded at Meleg’s Lakeview Orchard in Kingsville, Ont.
“We’ve had hail before,” says owner Tom Meleg. “But never the kind of devastation we had on July 1st.”
Meleg says the storm started at 6 p.m., with hail and high wind, and seemed to come in repetitive “waves.”
“It (the storm) just came again, again, with a lot of rain,” he says. “After a minute, the hail already did the damage.”
When he surveyed the damage afterwards, Meleg says the shards of “jagged” hail was still visible on the ground.
“It just drove the hail right into the plants. Into the trees. It cut the leaves,” says Meleg.
Hail is still on the ground, minutes after a storm ripped through Essex County on July 1. (Courtesy Tom Meleg)
A crop insurance adjustor told Meleg it was the worst she’s ever seen, and she works right across Ontario.
The entire crop of 25 acres of apples was damaged and is not fit to go to a packer who would package the apples up for a grocery store.
“They have to be perfect,” says Meleg but most of the apples have bruises and would just get thrown away by a packing company.
What’s worse, the storm damage hurt the trees themselves, making them susceptible to fire blight.
“It’s a bacterial disease,” says Meleg. “The tree looks burnt up. The tips of the branches will die and just turn brown.”
All of those dead branches will now have to be cut off, once the growing season is over.
“So it’s more work,” says Meleg.
Meleg’s is now offering their apples at 50 per cent off to U-Pick customers until the growing season ends at the end of October.
What apples are left, will be harvested and sent directly to a juice factory near Georgian Bay.
“If people support us, we’ll be fine,” says Meleg. “The apples still taste the same. They might not look as good, but they taste great.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.