Farmers aren’t too concerned about the winter weather
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Old Man Winter is bringing what could be the last blast of winter weather to Ontario.
A system is expected to hit parts of the province Tuesday into Wednesday, bringing snow with it.
"Through the evening and overnight hours, snow will spread across southern Ontario from the south and west, with heaviest snowfall rates south of the 401 corridor and especially across the Niagara peninsula," said Michael Carter, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
Communities like Windsor and Chatham could see up to 5cm of snow. Hamilton could get up to 10cm while the Niagara Region could receive up to 15cm by the time the storm wraps up on Wednesday.
Ontario growers, however, aren’t too worried about this weather event affecting corn, soybean or wheat crops.
But at least one farmer is welcoming the added moisture to his field.
“I don’t have anything planted other than some alfalfa,” Jim McLachlan, a cash crop grower from Essex County, told Farms.com. “Actually, it’s been a little bit of a dry spring. We got a good rain near the end of March and basically nothing since so this snow might actually do some good.”
McLachlan doesn’t have any corn planted yet but is hoping to seed corn by May 10.
Another farmer in the line of the snowfall isn’t worried about its effects on his crops. But the snow will likely affect his driving this evening.
“The snow won’t matter on my farm,” Ron Peare, a hay producer from Hamilton-Wentworth, told Farms.com. “I do have to be out tonight though so I’m sure the weather will slow things down a bit.”
The snow won’t likely be around very long.
Forecasts for different parts of the province have temperatures going up to 15 C by Friday.