The grandparents of Vince Kuipers emigrated from the Netherlands to Kelowna in 1921 when they began to wort, and finally transmitted knowledge to their parents.
Today, Kuipers has a family business collection business, Kuipers Fruit Family Farm in Kelowna, which has had difficult years with extreme climatic events that kill crops in Okanagan.
“I grew up in the garden,” he said, and pointed out that the garden has been his full -time work since 2015.
It is among many fruit producers in the area that celebrate their first abundant harvest in several years, thanks to all the correct growth conditions this year.
After several years of extreme losses of weather and crops in Okanagan of BC, farmers celebrate a generous fruits harvest that comes from a “perfect” growth season.
As for this year’s harvest, he says that “this year is the best year I would say so far.”
He says that last year “was very disappointing”, with a slight winter that contributed to the failure of the crops. The last years have been the worst failure of the harvest in his life, he says.
Jennay Oliver, owner and operates Paynter’s fruit market in the Okanagan, says that this year’s weather “was soft. It was not extreme and we had crops in everything.”
Heat domes and cold winter snapshots have contributed to crop failure, and BC farmers have not obtained profits since 2017, according to Statistics Canada.
“It’s quite easy to quit smoking when you have these two seasons in a row, I think this season has united everyone again,” said Oliver.
Despite the harvest, farmers and scientists say that this type of year is rare and is preparing for future difficulties with Okanagan crops.
Climate change
Canada Agriculture researcher Kirsten Hannam, is looking for innovative ways to protect the orchards from a changing climate.
An example is to use retractable blinds to protect hail trees or intense sunlight.
She says that adaptability and climatic resistance are incredibly important to include in future studies on climate change and orchards.
Kuipers says he is not too worried about climate change.
“You have good and bad years. You can mitigate against that the best you can, but I try to have a positive perspective.”
“I’m not too worried, but at the same time, you just have to be prepared so that if there is another cold spell, it can be disappointing,” he said.
Hannam says that fruit producers are reaching researchers to ask different questions about how their orchards can be more resistant to extreme climate.
“We have such a great relationship with the farmers who work in the Valley. We have a lot of communication with them, which really benefits our research,” he said.
Oliver says that the fruit producers with whom he has spoken are encouraged after this year’s harvest.
