Potato farmers 'very happy' to get rain
The beachgoers may have been happy for the sunny weather in the last half of July and early August, but P.E.I. farmers were ready for rain.
"It was hot, dry and windy, so the crop was starting to get stressed and certainly most of the Island had less than adequate moisture," said Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board.
"We needed a rain."
And they got it. Over the course of Monday and Tuesday all of P.E.I. got a soaking, with 25 to 77 millimetres of rain falling, depending on your particular location.
Potatoes are at a critical stage in their development right now, said Donald, with the potatoes underground sucking up moisture as they grow. Without some timely moisture the yield was going to suffer.
"Potato farmers, most farmers, are very happy to get that rain," he said.
"It could have come sooner, but they're very glad."
The potatoes still have lots of growing to do in the coming weeks, but Donald said as it stands P.E.I. is on track to produce a decent crop.
