Crop tours earlier this growing season predicted record corn yields in Ontario, and yield monitors and truck traffic confirm the rumour.
Across much of the province, farmers are reporting solid to record-breaking yields — even Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is having to split-weigh his research plots!
Commercial growers are harvesting huge volumes of grain and its putting pressure on the elevator and storage side of things, says Johnson.
“We would’ve finished harvest yesterday, but elevators are simply filling up,” says Johnson, adding that not all elevators are full yet, but his local elevator had to stop accepting wet corn over the weekend, as they’re out of wet space.
Part of it is that soybean harvest is also underway, which means the crops are competing for storage space. Good wheat yields have also complicated the situation, and now with corn yields “blowing the doors off” expectations — some reports up to 250 bu per acre — it just means all that much more logistics to work out.
Peter Archer of Maizeing Acres with locations at Campbelford and Trenton, says that the corn and soybean harvest has been a slow grind, adding to the logistical concerns.
“Basis should have got whacked if it came off quickly, but that hasn’t been the case. Boats need beans right now, so the exporters had to pay up. I would expect to eventually see basis levels weaken both corn and beans going into winter,” he says.
“Many elevators will struggle to take all this crop in a timely manner. I don’t expect a problem at our locations,” Archer says, adding that early movement and lots of space will keep them ahead of the curve.
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