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Nova Scotia lost as much as 50 per cent of its apple crop in 2018

Click to play video: 'Nova Scotia apple growers struggle with dead crops'
Nova Scotia apple growers struggle with dead crops
WATCH: It has been a difficult year for many apple growers in Nova Scotia this year. According to the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association, between 40 and 50 per cent of apple crops were described. Steve Silva reports on how one grower in Windsor, N.S., is handling the loss – Sep 10, 2018

It’s been a hard year for apple growers in Nova Scotia. Between 40 and 50 per cent of apple crops were lost in the province this year, according to the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association.

Larry Lutz, the association’s president, said in a phone interview from New Glasgow, N.S., that below-freezing temperatures in June played a big part, and the hardest-hit crops were in areas at low elevations.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia vineyards, farms facing potentially devastating crop loss due to frost

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Phil Daniels, the owner of Daniels U-Pick, said that 99 per cent of his crops died due to freezing temperatures in June, resulting in about a 75 per cent drop in sales.

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“People just aren’t coming out because they know I got hit by frost,” he said in an interview at his Windsor, N.S., operation.

He has put a spin on the problem, telling visiting children they’re in for a game of hide-and-seek to find the remaining apples, Daniels said.

WATCH: Over 50 per cent of Nova Scotia blueberry crops lost to frost

Click to play video: 'Over 50 per cent of Nova Scotia blueberry crops lost to frost'
Over 50 per cent of Nova Scotia blueberry crops lost to frost

Produce has been brought in from elsewhere to sell to customers, he said, so customers don’t have to leave empty-handed.

Daniels said he’s been in business for 42 years and despite this difficult year, he expects his trees will grow better next year because of this sabbatical of sorts.

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“Always have hope. There’s always hope,” he said.

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