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Farm businesses in Maugerville are picking up the soggy pieces and plodding ahead.

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NOT OPTIMISTIC: Planting is several weeks behind at Harvey's Big Potato in Maugerville. Above, Buzz Harvey examines damage to plants in his greenhouses Wednesday.

Buzz Harvey of Harvey's Big Potato is working dawn to dusk, trying to make up for lost time after flood waters kept farmers on high ground and away from their fields and greenhouses.

He estimates losses at the 80-hectare (200-acre) farm will surpass $100,000.

High waters continue to threaten farmland and buildings in the Maugerville area, putting farmers close to a month behind in their planting schedules.

"Normally, we begin planting in mid-April,'' Harvey said.

His four greenhouses where he starts vegetables and tomatoes were covered by cold river water and that stunted the growth of some of the tomatoes.

"The food damage shouldn't affect produce prices," Harvey said. "Prices are set by farm industry in Ontario, Quebec and California, so there's not much we can do about it.''

Harvey said this year's flood is one of several factors impacting his farm operation. Fuel costs have soared, minimum wage has increased and there are fewer workers.

"We'll pay almost double what we paid last year for fuel," he said. "Last year, we paid out about $25,000 for fuel and this year, that could go to $40,000."

Planting is behind by several weeks at McKinney's U-pick in Maugerville.

"We're about three weeks behind," said owner Ruth McKinney. "We had water over the property and into the basement of the house and the fields are still wet.

"It won't hurt the U-pick business. It just means we'll be late planting the fields. It could have been worse."

Gary Aylward, owner of True's Plant Nursery, said flood damage at his farm will top $20,000, including lost sales during the Mother's Day weekend.

"Overall, I'm pleased there wasn't more damage," he said. "Other people are suffering more than we are."

He supplies stores and private customers with bedding plants.

"We had four feet of water in the greenhouses and we lost some plants and suffered a lot of damage to the greenhouse structures," he said.

He repaired 10 furnaces used to heat seven greenhouses. Some equipment and fertilizer bags carried by flood waters are now strewn around the fields.

"What hurts most is the down time. We have to stop what we normally do this time of year and fix what is broken or in need of repairs,'' Aylward said.