STARRS POINT, N.S. — They had hoped to have their apple u-pick open by last weekend but, thanks to Dorian, they had pieces of tangled metal roofing to pick up instead.
Andrew Johnson of Willowbank U-Pick Farm, located just outside Port Williams on the Starrs Point loop, said he was expecting Dorian to cause significant damage to the apple crop. It was vulnerable given the time of year. He didn’t foresee the wind tearing the metal roof off their barn, something he called “amazing.” The metal roofing was installed some 20 years ago and had survived all major wind storms since.
“It’s surprising, that barn’s been there for an awful long time,” Johnson said. “It just got underneath one corner of that roof and just peeled it off like a banana.”
He said the wind started to lift the metal roofing off around the same time they lost power, at approximately 2 p.m. on Sept. 7.
“As the wind shifting around, then it really started tearing it apart,” Johnson said. “That’s when the willow trees started coming down and the maple trees started coming down and that’s when the damage started to the orchards, later in the afternoon and early evening.”
The metal roofing served as a protective layer, installed over an existing shingled roof, and although some large holes were torn in the original roof, there wasn’t any significant damage to the interior of the building. Some of the hay stored inside got a little wet but not enough to cause much concern.
Aside from the shock of losing the metal roof, Johnson said they were well prepared for the storm. They made sure all the animals were safely inside and that everything was battened down.
He said they recently planted five acres of new orchard, which was particularly vulnerable to damage. They lost approximately 20 of the young trees. In established orchards, the Johnsons lost 20 to 30 per cent of the apple crop. A crew is picking up the drop apples so they can be used to make juice.
“Understandably, the value drops substantially from a tree apple to a juice apple,” Johnson said.
He said it isn’t a good idea to leave the apples on the ground because the potential for warm weather still exists and the apples wouldn’t last. The drop apples also pose a safety concern for people picking off the trees if left on the ground.
“It’s done a complete reversal for the farmers, that we’re picking up drops before we’re picking the apples off the trees,” Johnson said.
The storm caused a delay in the opening of the farm’s u-pick operation. They originally planned to open Sept. 5 but decided to postpone. The u-pick and farm market will now open Sept. 14. Gravensteins will be available with other varieties coming on later in the season.
Johnson said they had a crew in to make sure the building was secure and that the property was safe to welcome visitors. Over three-and-a-half days, Welton Construction worked to clean up the debris from the barn roof.
Johnson said they are grateful to insurance provider Kings Mutual for responding so quickly, showing up to assess the damage on Monday afternoon, Sept. 9.
He said it was amazing to see how the agricultural community and the community as a whole pulled together to work through Dorian’s aftermath.
“We all have to prepare for more of these in the future, that’s for sure,” Johnson said.
For more information on Willowbank U-Pick Farm, visit www.willowbankupick.ca, visit the farm’s Facebook page or call 902-542-9153.
ACCEPTING JUICE APPLES
In light of the significant volume of apples knocked off trees by post-tropical storm Dorian, the Great Valley Juices plant in Port Williams is gearing up to accept juice apples earlier than usual this year.
Director of operations Jay Johnson said they are opening on Sept. 16, about three weeks earlier than normal. They are asking for patience from growers as their team works to get ready to start accepting fruit.
“We’ve been working hard to get everything ready and in place so we can help some of these farmers out that do have their windfalls on the ground already,” Johnson said.
She said they’ve been talking to some growers who are reporting a 30 per cent loss of apple crops due to the storm, while others are “looking at much more significant levels.”
Johnson said Great Valley Juices wants to do whatever it can to assist the growers, recognizing that they won’t get anywhere near the normal market value for their apples by selling them for juice.
“Hopefully they can at least recuperate some of their input costs,” Johnson said. “If we can help them with that, that’s what we’re here to try to do.”
As in past years, growers must make an appointment before delivering apples to the plant. Johnson said on Sept. 13 that Nathan Brown had been working in the scale house over the past few days booking appointments. He’ll be back on Monday morning, Sept. 16, to take more calls. The direct line to the scale house is 902-542-8660.
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