Hailstorm near Winchester damages 400 hectares of farmer’s crops
A hailstorm caused havoc south of Ottawa on Tuesday afternoon, with one farmer saying at least 1,000 acres of his soybean and corn crops were damaged.
“At first it was just rain, light rain, then it just pounded down real hard for about 10 minutes and then it switched over to hail,” said Joe Spruit of Triple J Farms.
When the hail backed off, he said, the rain kept coming.
"There's a lot of soybeans that were stripped right down to nothing. Just stalks standing. And there's a lot of corn that's broke, some are broke right off at the top," Spruit added.
Shredded soybean leaves at Triple J Farms near Winchester. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)The farm sits along Spruit Road and he says the damage is localized to the crops on both sides of it.
"We have land on the other side of 43 Highway south of that and nothing was touched," he added.
The hail was so large it actually left marks on the cornstalks where it hit, and was strong enough to break some stalks right in half.
Joe’s brother Johnny was finding pool toys in the cornfield, with the winds ripping the sign off his front yard. Looking over the soybean crop on Wednesday, there wasn't much left.
"It's like it's totally stripped right? The leaves, pretty much all of the top leaves are gone, been torn off," Johnny said.
The plants were in the flowering stage with some already producing bean pods.
"I'm not sure if that plant is going to rebound from that again. It doesn’t look good, that's for sure," he added.
A soybean pod at Triple J Farms near Winchester. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)The corn crop is also in a critical stage, trying to produce a cob.
"The corn may rebound, but we're going have crop insurance take a look at it see what they see," Johnny said.
Joe estimates the hail was around the size of a loonie, also damaging his wheat crop, which he had planned to start harvesting on Wednesday.
Now he's left waiting for the land to dry.
"The wheat stayed standing really good but we see that a lot of the cereal has been knocked out of the plant," he said. "A bunch of it has been knocked out onto the ground. It's going to cut the yield back quite a bit."
While he understands he can't control the weather, he has never seen this type of damage at the farm, and has his fingers crossed that some of the crops can be salvaged.
"Hopefully it comes back, or at least get something off of it," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires air defence batteries in provinces as explosions heard near Isfahan
Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near a major airbase at the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.