Farmers in P.E.I. hoping drier weather allows them to get crops in

Prince Edward Island potato farmers, kept out of their fields by weeks of rain, are frantically trying to catch up with their planting.

The excess wet weather in April and May kept machines at bay and delayed all planting including the province’s largest crops of potatoes and soybeans.

Greg Donald at the P.E.I. Potato Board says now that drier days have arrived many growers are expected to complete the process by the end of the week.

While final acreage figures aren’t in, officials anticipate a slight drop this year from the more than 34,000 hectares planted last year.