Sask. farmers under pressure with berries in full bloom on Prairies

Saskatoon berries are already ripeand they aren't the only fruit that's early putting the pressure on some Saskatchewanfarmers.

"You're not quite mentally prepared for such an early season. You usually have the long weekend and you can kind of float into the berry season," said Sandy Purdy, president of the Saskatoon Berry Council.

Purdy produces Saskatoon berries on an 53-hectare orchard in Keeler, Sask., with herbusiness called Prairie Berries.

"I cannot remember a seasonsince I've been in this businessthat has been this early," she said.

"It was quite a shock to the system."

The premature arrival has been a strain on the company. Usually it uses the first few weeks in July to prepare to bring in theharvest, she said.

Now the whole process has been pushed ahead.

The workers havespent the past few weeksprematurelyordering in baskets, sending early notices to seasonalemployees and hastilygetting organized to bring in the berries.

Busy bees, ideal weather

"Thewarm weather has sped things up and we had rather dry conditions, which caused the bees to well-pollinate all of the fruit crops. Not only is it early, we're getting really high yields," saidBobBors,head of the fruit program at the University of Saskatchewan andassistantprofessor in the Department of Plant Sciences.

"[The bees]don't go out if it's cold and if it's rainy they'll stay home, and it's been just beautiful during the whole bloom period, so any bees that are out there have lots to do," Borssaid.

In addition to an abundance of Saskatoon berries, there are cherries, haskaps, strawberries and other bush fruits that are ripe or nearly ready.Bors said allfruit in Saskatchewan will be ready for picking two to three weeks earlier than normal.

Borssaid there could be30 per cent more fruit yield this year in comparisontotheaverage year.

The fruit isalso healthier than usual.

"Because it was kindof dry in June the plants thatget more diseases get less this year," he said.