N.S. farmers looking for pickers to harvest bumper berry crop
It’s a race against time in Webster Farms’ strawberry fields in Nova Scotia.
“You can let a field go for four days but that is pushing it,” says farm manager Jordan Eyamie.
Ripe berries don't wait for anyone, so the rush is on for Eyamie to harvest the nearly 20 acres of berries at the farm in Cambridge. Finding local help has been nearly impossible.
“We used to get kids come. Even three years ago I had people call me wanting to pick but now I get maybe one phone call a year,” Eyamie says.
Eyamie now employs temporary foreign workers from Mexico to get the job done.
“Some of these guys are making over $20 an hour, between $20 and $30,” she says.
Without them?
“This would not get picked. There is no way,” Eyamie says.
Temporary Foreign Workers pick strawberries in a field in Cambridge, N.S. (Source: Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic)
It’s not just her farm; bumper crops are growing across the province.
“It was a good spring. It wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t wet, it wasn’t too cold. It was just good growing conditions for the spring and so everything just came a little bit early,” says William Spurr, president of Horticulture Nova Scotia.
Spurr grows berries on about two acres on his farm in Wilmot where those good growing conditions produced ripe berries up to 10 days early.
“I wasn’t expecting it to come as early as it did,” he said.
A Temporary Foreign Worker picks strawberries in a field in Cambridge, N.S. (Source: Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic)
Luckily, Eyamie was ready, meaning the $650,000 strawberry crop will mostly get picked.
The workers will be harvesting the fields until early Monday evening and the strawberries they're picking will be on store shelves as early as Tuesday.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
2 Canadians confirmed dead in Poland, as consular officials gather information
Two Canadians have died following an incident in Poland, CTV News has learned.
Downtown Vancouver stabbing suspect dead after being shot by police
A suspect is dead after being shot by police in a Vancouver convenience store after two people were injured in a stabbing Wednesday morning, according to authorities.
DEVELOPING As police search for suspect, disturbing video surfaces after U.S. health-care CEO gunned down in New York
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed Wednesday morning in what investigators suspect was a targeted shooting outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding an investor conference.
'Utterly absurd': Freeland rebuffs Poilievre's offer of two hours to present fall economic statement
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has rebuffed Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's offer to give up two hours of scheduled opposition time next Monday to present the awaited fall economic statement as 'utterly absurd.'
Canada Post stores continue to operate during strike — but why?
As many postal workers continue to strike across the country, some Canadians have been puzzled by the fact some Canada Post offices and retail outlets remain open.
Toddler fatally shot after his 7-year-old brother finds a gun in the family's truck
A two-year-old boy was fatally shot when his seven-year-old brother found a gun in the glovebox of the family's truck in Southern California, authorities said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls Donald Trump 'funny guy' in Fox News interview
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called U.S. president-elect Donald Trump a 'funny guy' on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News for his comment that Canada should become the United States's 51st state.
Mattel sued over 'Wicked' dolls with porn website link
Mattel was sued this week by a South Carolina mother for mistakenly putting a link to an adult film site on the packaging for its dolls tied to the movie 'Wicked.'
Transport Minister to summon airline CEOs as Air Canada set to charge carry-on fees for some passengers
Transport Minister Anita Anand says she will be calling Canadian airline CEOs to a meeting in mid-December after Air Canada says it will charge some passengers for carry-on bags in the new year.