For farmers watching the sky this summer, the problem changed quickly from needing rain to wondering when it would stop.
Repeated heavy rainfall through July and August flooded low-lying fields across parts of Haldimand County, damaging some crops while helping others recover from earlier low-moisture stress.
Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Simon Legault identified Hamilton and Vineland as nearby stations useful for comparing rainfall conditions in the region.
He said Vineland recorded record daily rainfall totals on July 21 and August 2, 2026, underscoring the intensity of storms moving through the area this summer.
James Kaspersetz, who owns farmland in Haldimand, said the impact locally has depended heavily on elevation, drainage, and crop type.
“The heavy rainfall generally resulted in isolated flooding in various fields,” he wrote in observations provided after an interview.
In soybeans, Kaspersetz said low-lying areas faced the greatest risk. As floodwater drains away, it can leave a clay-like residue on leaves that interferes with plant development and photosynthesis.
“You can see the damage in the soybeans, fairly severe, where it’s flooded,” Kaspersetz said of area farms.
In some fields, he estimated losses at roughly one-third of the crop, while others appeared to have lost as much as 50%.
“I think a lot of farmers are going to have a problem with yield because they’re just not there,” he said.
Corn has generally fared better.
Kaspersetz said both corn and soybeans need significant moisture, and crops had been showing signs of stress before the heavy rain arrived. Where water drained away quickly enough, the additional moisture may ultimately improve yields.
“Since the rainfall, both crops appear to have recovered and are showing significant improvement,” he wrote.
Winter wheat was largely unaffected by the storms, he added, with very good yields reported in Haldimand County.
Ontario Federation of Agriculture General Manager Cathy Lennon said prolonged wet conditions can create problems well beyond the initial flooding.
“Prolonged wet conditions decrease quality and increase risk for disease,” Lennon said.
From applying crop protection and nutrition additives, to working the crop and harvesting, saturated fields can also make it difficult to access fields with machinery without causing rutting, compaction, or becoming stuck. Those challenges can be especially significant at this point in the growing season, when farmers need timely access to fields.
Lennon said programs including production insurance, AgriRecovery, and traditional insurance become particularly important when weather causes crop losses.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness said Haldimand farmers, like those elsewhere in Ontario, have experienced a range of adverse weather in recent years, including excessive rainfall, localized flooding, drought, heat, and severe storms.
The ministry said Agricorp administers several business risk management programs intended to help farmers manage losses from unforeseen events, including extreme weather.
Drainage has emerged as one of the biggest issues following this summer’s storms.
Lennon said farmers can review tile drainage systems, outlets, grading, ditches, and connections to municipal drains to better drainage for future growing seasons. Older tile systems may require maintenance or additional drainage, particularly on heavier soils.
Farmers can also build organic matter, maintain good soil structure, avoid compaction, and use cover crops to help reduce runoff and erosion.
However, Lennon said there is a limit to what farmers can do when extremely large volumes of water arrive in a short period.
“The scale of the recent storms was pretty extraordinary,” she said, pointing to three major rain events within roughly three weeks.
Even modern, well-designed farm drainage systems can become overwhelmed when municipal drains, roadside drainage, creeks, and other downstream outlets are already at capacity.
Lennon noted that drainage is a shared responsibility, with municipalities responsible for maintaining and properly sizing municipal drainage and stormwater systems.
Kaspersetz raised concerns about drainage infrastructure in Haldimand, including damaged or undersized culverts and ditches he believes require more regular maintenance.
Also working as an environmental consultant, Kaspersetz said stormwater systems are commonly designed using historical storm models, which may not adequately reflect recent severe rainfall. He is concerned that increased heavy weather events combined with increased development could be a ticking timebomb if left unaddressed: “Municipalities have got to get on the ball.”
Ontario Federation of Agriculture President Drew Spoelstra agreed that recent rainfall has demonstrated the need for action off the farm as well.
“There are certainly things we can do on farms, ranging from maintaining and improving drainage systems to building healthy soils,” Spoelstra said. “But what we have experienced recently also demonstrates the limits of what an individual farmer can do.”
He said heavy rainfall can place the entire drainage system under pressure.
“We need to look at this as a broader infrastructure and climate-resilience challenge and determine where strategic investments by farmers and all levels of governments can reduce the impact of the next extreme event,” Spoelstra said.
For Haldimand farmers, the result this year has been a summer of uneven impacts dependent on the crop and its location.
