Maritime farmers hit by last summer’s major drought say they are on the road to recovery

Last summer’s drought left Maritime farms short of crops and, in some cases, unable to harvest. A year later, better rainfall has brought signs of recovery, although growers still see damage from the hot and dry conditions of 2025.

Danny Dill, a giant pumpkin grower and owner of Howard Dill Enterprises in Windsor, Nova Scotia, said the drought was unlike anything he had experienced. “It was a historic drought. Never seen nothing like it in my lifetime. I’m in my 60s now, and some of the people that are in their 90s saying they’ve never seen nothing like it,” he said.

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It was a historic drought. Never seen nothing like it in my lifetime. I’m in my 60s now, and some of the people that are in their 90s saying they’ve never seen nothing like it.

Dill had to turn away pumpkin customers last fall because he lacked enough stock. This year, he expects to fill all their orders after what he called good, timely rains. But his large pumpkin varieties remain smaller than they would normally be at this point, and he suspects the drought may have affected moisture levels in the soil.

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The pumpkins are coming on, because we’ve had some good, timely rains this year.

Trevor Hadwen, an agroclimate specialist with Agriculture Canada, said the drought was particularly notable because the region does not usually experience prolonged dry conditions. Nova Scotia, eastern Newfoundland, southeastern New Brunswick and parts of Prince Edward Island faced severe drought conditions last August.

Wild blueberry growers also suffered. Patrick O’Neil, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, said the drought was “devastating.” July brought almost no rain and oppressive heat in New Brunswick, while fire bans and restrictions prevented some farmers from harvesting during the peak season. Wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick led provincial governments to impose further limits on activity.

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We saw almost no rain in July and oppressive heat in New Brunswick. Some farmers weren’t even allowed to harvest during peak season because of fire bans and restrictions.