Peaches may be plentiful in grocery stores now, but that could change next year after heavy rain devastated orchards across the Niagara region earlier this month. More than 30 cm of rain fell in the region between the end of July and early August, flooding farms, orchards, vineyards and even homes. Jack Romagnoli of Romagnoli Farms said the flooding also affected his peach crop. “Our peaches are getting flooded too,” Romagnoli said in a video posted to Instagram, showing a portion of the orchard under water. The damage could have a significant impact on the country’s peach supply, with about 80 per cent of Canada’s peaches grown in the Niagara region, according to Jayasankar Subramanian, a University of Guelph professor of tree fruit breeding at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. “In my 23 years, I have not seen this kind of rainfall,” Subramanian said. Peach trees are particularly vulnerable to flooding because they have shallow root systems. “When that root is completely cut off from oxygen due to flooding, that will start the effect pretty quickly,” Subramanian said. Some trees have already died, raising concerns about next year’s crop. “If these trees don’t get back, which is very unlikely based on what we see in some spots, they won’t get back and we won’t be getting enough fruits next year,” Subramanian said. Fruit shortfall Peaches aren’t the only fruit at risk. Subramanian said other tender tree fruits, including plums and cherries, could also be affected by the flooding. It is still too early to know exactly how much fruit production will be lost, but Subramanian has an estimate. “It could be 20 per cent [lower], only time will tell,” he said. A smaller crop could mean peaches become harder to find and more expensive for consumers. For growers, the immediate concern is getting through the rest of the season without further damage. “We had a heavy downpour on Saturday night so that already has raised a little bit of pressure on our side,” Subramanian said. “We just hope we don’t get one more big downpour for the next few weeks.” So while local peaches may seem sweet now, consumers could be facing a sour taste when they see the price next year.
