How are Ottawa farmers—and crops—faring in the midst of this summer’s extreme weather?

Aug 22, 2023

The crew at Jardins Bergeron Gardens spent last Friday digging up 20,000 Spanish onions by hand after a deluge of rain swamped the fields of the market garden near Navan.

To be a farmer is to know the meaning of “it’s always something.” First, there was a late frost, followed by a hot, dry spring. Then it started to rain and didn’t stop, threatening crops that grow close to the ground. There have been damaging winds and hail. To top it off, the days have been cloudy and the nights have been cool.

“This violent weather causes splash-back on plants,” said Tammy Bannon, owner of Veggie Trail Farms on Richmond Road. The dirt on the plants and the continual dampness are what causes virus in tomatoes and powdery mildew in cucurbit varieties like squash and cucumbers, she said. Meanwhile, the potatoes are in mud and the sweet potatoes are prone to crack with this much rain, but they’re not ready to bring in.

“If that’s not bad enough, you can’t even get into the field due to the mud,” Bannon said. “It’s been rough, but we have lots of produce coming in from the field.”

Only halfway through August 2023, the city has already surpassed the average August rainfall of about 85 millimetres. For some crops, the deluge can be a boon. For others a bust. But this year’s extreme — and unpredictable — weather has consistently been the root cause of numerous headaches for farmers.

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Video: Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard

On Friday, April 24, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:

“Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard”

The Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or advanced biofuels. Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS is implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This webinar provides an overview of the legal authority and structure for the RFS program and explain how it works, including the program’s system of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and categories of renewable fuels. Additionally, this webinar addresses EPA annual volume requirement rulemaking and associated recent legal issues.