Wet and wild spring weather didn害羞草研究所檛 hurt Okanagan fruit growers.

Fred Steele, president of the BC Fruit Grower Association, said the cool weather has left local farmers just a week or two behind their usual growing schedule, with blossoms having fallen off local apple trees, and fruits starting to bud.

As for predictions on whether it will be a bountiful season, Steele said it害羞草研究所檚 too early to know.

The only thing farmers can rely on, he said, is that they will have to adapt and they will have to have a good sense of humour.

害羞草研究所淓ither there害羞草研究所檚 too much rain, or not enough or there害羞草研究所檚 something else,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭he unexpected is the norm.

害羞草研究所淲e have had some pretty good years in the last five years and that害羞草研究所檚 because farmers adapted.害羞草研究所�

The 2016 Census of Agriculture was recently released and Steele said the data shared reflected the positive gains the local industry has made in recent years.

For example, farmers in the Okanagan Kootenay region grew acreages by five per cent over five years.

Farm gate sales are up 50 per cent and the economic value of goods generated out of the region rose from $552 million to $776 million.

害羞草研究所淔armers have adapted to the conditions and they害羞草研究所檝e found new ways to grow and new technologies,害羞草研究所� said Steele.

Among the adaptations being lauded for putting the industry in a position to grow was the replant program, which saw high density producing apple trees replace older varieties. The changes have led to a changed landscape, too.

害羞草研究所淣ow we see apple orchards where hay fields were,害羞草研究所� he said.

Steele said another thing that害羞草研究所檚 changed both locally and across Canada is the size of the farms in the valley.

The data counted 193,492 farms across the country, down from 205,730 farms recorded in the 2011 census.

The average size of a Canadian farm in 2016 was 820 acres, compared to 779 acres in 2011.

The highest number of Canadian farms per size are between 10 and 69 acres, with 32,036 falling into that category.

And another 9,089 farms are 3,520 acres or larger.

Total farm area is measured at 158.7 million acres, with 93.4 million acres used for crops.

害羞草研究所淲e have fewer farmers and larger farms,害羞草研究所� he said.