An early spring, an April cold snap and now hot and dry summer days are creating a headache for many farmers in the rural areas around Toronto during this growing season.

While the hot weather is good for some irrigated crops, it’s stunting the growth of grains and oilseeds, including corn, soybeans and wheat.

Corn fields in the Holland Marsh, which is located in the Greenbelt around the GTA, are suffering in hot, dry conditions, said Jamie Reaume, executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association.

“All of them are showing signs of heat stress,” said Reaume from his vantage point in a corn field off Highway 400. “In this case, what you’re seeing is burnt leaves on the bottom -- that’s definitive for heat stress -- you’re seeing the stalks desperately trying to grow upright.”

Prices for corn, soy and wheat are rising because there is a shortage on the market as much of North America suffers under the same dry conditions.

It’s only a matter of time until consumers feel the pinch, Reaume said. But there could be hope on the horizon if the crops get rain within the next crucial three weeks.

If the rain doesn’t come, continued dry conditions will mean the plants focus on keeping their stems alive, and won’t produce the juicy corn kernels consumers crave.

While corn farmers wait for rain, apple farmers have it even worse. In orchards near Georgian Bay, a warm spring followed by an April freeze killed off 95 per cent of the apple blossoms.

“Macintosh apples are virtually -- they’ve been hit hard -- they’re virtually non-existent,” said farmer Brad Oakley.

The apple situation is so bad that the province has officially called it a crop disaster, meaning affected farmers are allowed to apply for financial aid.

But it’s not all bad news.

The hot weather this summer, which was preceded by an unseasonably warm winter, means blueberry and raspberry crops are ready about 10 days earlier than usual.

Holland Marsh farmer Shane Singh said his romaine lettuce crops love the heat, too.

He’s cutting his fourth crop already. This time last year he was just harvesting his second.

“This is the crop we’re going to cut next week,” said Singh. “The crop we’re cutting right now is in the back there – they’re monstrous, they’re huge.”

With files from CTV Toronto’s Colin D’Mello