I’m fresh off a very long, full day at both Pulse Days at Crop Week and the Crop Production Show at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon, and I thought I’d quickly jot down a few of my observations from the show:
Farmers are feeling good about the year ahead, but strong crop prices complicate rotation decisions in a good way. When many crops pencil out with a decent profit margin, its complicates weighing storage capacity against expected pest pressure against market opinions. A little intel gathering and a sharp pencil and Mother Nature’s kindness will make the most of a great situation.
Further to that, there’s certainly buzz about crop margins and crop types — there were some surprisingly good and bad experiences (flax beat out canola for profits in some cases). Soybeans out west and corn are big talking points. What’s more, some barley growers are having to think long and hard about aiming for malt in the new open market.
Pulse Days featured Brenda Robinson, of the Robcan Group, speaking about working with several generation personalities on the farm. At the lunch table yesterday, I sat with two farm couples and a researcher — the topic of how Gen Y, X and Boomers all work together or butt heads made for a lively discussion. The verdict? The younger generation is right to carve out more work/life balance, but they’ve got to recognize that you have to put in the long hours to enjoy the pay off.
New crop protection products are rolling out (watch for more on those in the coming week), Monsanto announced a next-generation glyphosate tolerance trait for canola and RealAgriculture’s own Shaun Haney is handing out t-shirts today and tomorrow (find him at the Becker Underwood booth!).
The show and Crop Week are on for a few days yet, so I highly recommend you follow along with what’s happening via Twitter. Follow hashtags #cpw13 and #cps13 and you’ll feel like you’re there (or feel like you’re missing out).
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