The Canadian province of Ontario may be known for its thriving greenhouse industry, but producers of field-grown vegetables there have made their own mark and are preparing for a bountiful harvest this summer.
Alliston, Ontario-based Ontario Potato Distributors Inc. kicked off its 2024 season with yellow potatoes the week of July 15, said Melissa Toste, operations manager. White potatoes will follow the next week.
Ontario Potato Distributors Inc. ships year-round mostly to retailers but also to some foodservice and wholesale customers, Toste said.
Wilsonville, Ontario-based Procyk Farms (1994) Ltd. started its harvest in early June, a little earlier than typical because of warmer-than-usual weather, said Danny Procyk, crop manager and an owner of the company.
The firm’s product line includes tomatoes, roma tomatoes, sauce tomatoes, red and savoy cabbage, sweet corn, zucchini and red, yellow and green bell peppers. All commodities should be shipping by the second week of July.
Procyk Farms will ship until the first fall frost, which usually occurs by Canadian Thanksgiving, set for Oct. 14 this year. Volume will be similar to last year.
Sweet corn is the major crop grown by Rouge River Farms in Gormley, Ontario, said Rob Reesor, president, CEO and part owner with his brother, Richard.
The company, which started in Ontario with a few acres in the late 1980s, now may be the largest fresh-market sweet corn grower on the East Coast, he said.
Rouge River also has 8,000 acres of green beans, making it one of the largest growers of green beans on the East Coast. This will be the first year the company is growing green beans in Ontario.
The firm also has sweet corn and green bean programs in Florida, Georgia and Virginia.
Reesor said he is pleased with the quality of this year’s crops.
“We’re happy with the way things look,” he said.
The firm’s sweet corn volume in Ontario should be similar to last year, he said.
Exeter, Ontario-based Exeter Produce will have an extensive line of field vegetables for buyers to choose from this summer, said co-owner Jim Veri.
Broccoli, sweet corn, hard squash, garlic, rutabagas, green beans, cabbage, wrapped cabbage and wrapped broccoli are just some of the company’s offerings, not to mention its new napa cabbage product and several new kinds of chili peppers. An asparagus program that began in May was set to wind down by July 10.
Quality on all items is looking good, Veri said. The company grows on about 6,000 acres.
Most of the local summer items from Exeter Produce will finish by early October, then the company will turn to squash, cabbage, rutabagas and heartier items until Christmas.
The fourth-generation grower ships most of its product to retailers and foodservice operators, 60% of which are in Canada with the remainder in the U.S.
Vittoria, Ontario-based Scotlynn Group was wrapping up its asparagus program in late June and will kick off its sweet corn deal the second week of July, said Scott Biddle, president and CEO.
The company will ship pumpkins from Labor Day weekend until the end of October.
Quality was good on its asparagus deal and yields were “decent,” Biddle said.
Volume on Scotlynn Group’s upcoming sweet corn crop should be the same as last year, and shipments should continue until mid-September.
The company grows 15,000 acres of vegetables in Ontario, Florida and Georgia and sells to retailers on the East Coast and West Coast of Canada and mostly to customers east of the Mississippi in the U.S.
Despite a few hiccups here and there, weather in most of Ontario’s growing areas seemed fairly favorable this season.
Weather has been “pretty stable” so far, and quality is looking “pretty positive,” said Toste of Ontario Potato Distributors Inc.
“It’s shaping up to be a pretty good season,” she said. “It’s going to be a clean transition to the new crop, which is what we shoot for every year.”
The Wilsonville region had periods of moderate weather, but that was followed by a heatwave during the second part of June, said Procyk of Procyk Farms. There also were periods of heavy rain and wind.
“Weather is always a challenge for us,” he said.
The company expects to produce a decent-quality crop despite the weather challenges, he said.
Weather has been warm with plenty of rain for Rouge River Farms, Reesor said.
“It’s been ideal for us,” he said.
Weatherwise, Veri of Exeter Produce said he’s “seen everything under sun,” from too much heat and rain to too little.
“It’s been a spring of extremes,” he said.
“But the weather right now is quite pleasant,” he said in late June.
Scotlynn Group had a good spring and no late frost this year, Biddle said. “The crops are looking really good.”
