WINDSOR, ONT. -- The rain that fell over parts of Windsor-Essex County in the past two days has been sporadic and spotty, according to a local farmer.
“It all depends which farm you want to talk about,” says Leo Guilbeault, a grain farmer in Lakeshore, Ont.
“At my home farm, I got less than two-tenths of an inch,” he says “and you go towards Staples and they got over an inch and a half.”
Guilbeault says the dry season is forcing the wheat crop to “shrink” and it’s reaching a “critical” stage.
“We'll be harvesting wheat in three weeks time now, because its already turning ahead of schedule because it’s been so dry.”
In the City of Windsor, parks crews welcomed the rain.
“In the grass, the cracks are about a half inch thick right now,” says Horticulturalist Wanda Letourneau, who says it’s been a difficult season for the cities many parks and flower beds.
“Normally we have cooler weather in May so when we would plant, they have a little bit of a break to start growing and it’s kind of stressing them out a bit.”
Letourneau says grass and flowers will perk up better with Mother Nature’s rain, as opposed to their irrigation efforts.
Meantime at Fred’s Farm Fresh, the overnight rain meant workers could do something other than water the many flowers and plants outside the greenhouses.
“In the peak of our season, we have two full time people come in, from about seven in the morning until six at night,” who’s only job is to water, says owner Fred Bouzide.
Instead today, Bouzide has “them cleaning plants in the greenhouse, fixing up stuff.”
