It’s official — there has been WAY too much rain. Farmers across Sturgeon County could use another hug today.
A Disaster—Literally
The County has now declared a State of Agricultural Disaster for the 2026 growing season, recognizing what every farmer has been living day by day. Many agricultural lands remain saturated, with prolonged wet conditions increasing concerns about crop health, reduced yields, forage production, and long‑term impacts to farm operations. Continued wet weather has prevented or delayed field work, made some areas completely inaccessible, and created significant uncertainty for producers.
Sturgeon County has been monitoring the situation closely through multiple data sources and tools, tracking local weather patterns, soil saturation, and crop condition reports. The picture is the same across the municipality: too much water, too little sun, and a growing season pushed to its limits.
And our own farm has felt it deeply.
Our potato crop is treading water — literally. The cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are in the same boat. A few dry days would have made all the difference, but the forecast shows another week of rain ahead. Months of work underwater. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s the reality many Alberta farmers are facing right now.
From Drought to Historic Rain
With more than 140 years of rainfall records behind us, 2026 now stands among the wettest years Edmonton and Sturgeon County have ever recorded. Since measurements began in 1880, only a handful of seasons have come close to the relentless moisture we’re living through now. This summer alone has already delivered more than triple the rainfall seen in the earliest years of record‑keeping.
And the contrast becomes even more staggering when you look at recent history.
The last five years have been extremely dry — with 2025 receiving only 6 inches (152 mm) of total precipitation at our farm. That made 2025 one of the driest years in modern memory, rivaling the historic drought years of the early 1930s.
To swing from one of the driest seasons on record straight into one of the wettes
t is something farmers rarely see in a lifetime.
Agriculture is a cornerstone of our community and local economy, and these ongoing impacts of excessive moisture are placing additional financial and operational pressures on farms throughout Sturgeon County. This is one of the toughest seasons we’ve ever seen. Water-logging is so much worse than drought — there is nothing you can do to save the crop. You can’t even convince a tractor to slog through the mud to cultivate between the rows.
The Silver Lining
But here’s the part where farmers do what farmers always do: We are eternal optimists. We keep going. We stay hopeful.
And we celebrate what is thriving.
Because even in a season this challenging, something beautiful is growing.
Our apples are still looking incredible — crisp, sweet, and full of promise. They’re a reminder that even in the hardest years, nature still finds a way to shine.
And inside the greenhouses, food is flourishing. When the fields are too wet to rely on, we turn to what we can grow: tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, herbs, and specialty greens. This year’s CSA Produce Boxes have become a celebration of resilience — inspired, random, colourful collections of whatever is thriving despite the rain. Every box is a little surprise, anchored in greenhouse abundance and packed with the flavours of a farm that refuses to give up.
It’s been a great strawberry season. The sour cherries are amazing. We are blown away with the fennel. It didn’t bolt and go to flower for a change. The parsnips germinated – and they like it wet.
In the fields, we have reseeded the beans for the third time. There are rows of carrots above high tide line. And luckily, we planted all of the pumpkins on the hilltops. They are blooming furiously, almost in defiance to all this rain. There may yet be pumpkins.
Support Your Local Farms
Right now, we need your support more than ever. Eat your greens! Visit the farm. Pick apples this fall. Buy advance Haunted Pumpkin Festival tickets. Share a smile. Bring your kids. Tell your friends.
Every visit helps keep local agriculture alive through one of the most difficult growing seasons in recent memory. Farmers are eternal optimists — but your kindness keeps that optimism alive.
Thank you for standing with us!