New Brunswick·NewExpect squash, carrots and potatoes to be a bit smaller at New Brunswick farm markets this fall. A summer of drought is the reason.Some crops also had a short season and some were delayed, says farmerRhythm Rathi · CBC News · Posted: Oct 12, 2025 9:46 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoSome vegetables in New Brunswick this season are smaller due to drought. (Victoria Walton/CBC)Expect squash, carrots and potatoes to be a bit smaller at New Brunswick farm markets this fall.Craig Lewis sets up his shop at the Moncton farmers’ market, where he buys and sells local produce from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia farmers.He said the dry summer season has significantly impacted his farmers and their produce.”It’s probably about a 50 per cent loss right across the board,” he said Saturday.He said the drought might not wipe out a field, but if squash are four pounds instead of six, that will show up on the bottom line.A map made by the Canadian Drought Monitor shows the severity of the drought. (Canadian Drought Monitor)According to the latest data from the Canadian Drought Monitor, which includes information as of Sept. 30, parts of eastern New Brunswick received less than 40 per cent of the normal rainfall, while much of the province recorded precipitation below 60 per cent this year.The three-month period from July through September in Moncton and Saint John were the second driest on record, according to the monitor.Lewis said the season brought a noticeable size reduction in squash and cucumbers. Some corn was impacted as well.”The cobs didn’t size at all, they were stunted, and there’s no value in going out and picking them,” he said.”So, some farmers made the decision just to plow them under for … topsoil maintenance or biomass.”Craig Lewis buys and sells local produce in Moncton. (Victoria Walton/CBC)He said his customers have been understanding.Recent rainfall could help some crops, like cabbage, that are still in the field, said Lewis. However, he said it is too late in the season to make up for any losses.”There’s always a reason to complain — too sunny, too wet, too dry. But this was certainly an exceptional year as far as drought.,” he said.”It’s one of the driest that many of us have on memory.”This has translated into less profit for him. The last couple seasons weren’t good either, he said.Kent Coates sells organic produce at the Dieppe farmers’ market. His farm is in Point de Bute, an area on the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia border.”It’s been a huge impact on us,” he said. “We actually get a lot less rain than even Moncton.”He said his area only received about a week’s worth of rain over three months.”We finally got rain this week,” he said. “We got 40 millimetres of rain on Wednesday and we still have a lot of carrots in the ground, so that one was a godsend for us because those will hopefully size up in time to harvest by end of the month.”Kent Coates sells organic produce at the Dieppe farmers’ market. (Victoria Walton/CBC)He said his farm has some parsnips and rutabagas in the ground too, which he expects will gain size in the next few weeks.Due to the concerning conditions, Coates could not plant all of his fall crops. He said the dry weather also forced him to irrigate the fields by drawing water from the ponds, which cost him a lot of diesel and time.”I was spending half a day, everyday, all summer, moving water,” he said. “I’ve never seen the ponds as low as they were.”He said this year’s conditions brought both smaller yields for some crops and a short growing season for some like beans and broccoli.Some crops that are still in the ground may benefit from the recent rainfall and gain size in the next few weeks, says Kent Coates. (Victoria Walton/CBC)Some crops like red peppers have also been delayed, but it has not affected his overall sales at the farmer’s market, he said.”Certainly a lot more expenses,” he said. “Overall we have done OK.”ABOUT THE AUTHORRhythm Rathi is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick in Moncton. He was born and raised in India, and attended journalism school in Ontario. Send your story tips to rhythm.rathi@cbc.ca With files from Victoria Walton
New Brunswick’s drought conditions hit home at farm markets
