Spring 2019 was certainly a challenge for Ontario corn growers. With more than double the annual spring rainfall, many growers kept hoping the rain would stop and a planting window would emerge, but in many cases that opportunity didn’t arrive until June. For Maizex agronomist Greg Stewart, it was the most delayed planting season he’s… Read More
It’s been a week of wild weather: extreme cold in the west, and warm and very wet weather in the east. Understandably, overland flooding in Ontario has many farmers asking about the impact on the wheat crop. Peter Johnson has the answer you need in this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word. Johnson shares some of the… Read More
While the forecasters are calling for a slightly longer winter than most would like, most are calling for less extreme weather events for the coming months — with a drier west and wetter east expected. “We will not have an El Niño or La Niña influencing the weather patterns for 2020, and this is the… Read More
Drew Lerner, of World Weather Inc. says he thinks 2020 is going to be a better year in general for weather across the Prairies. When he looks back at the extreme weather that occurred in the west in 2019, he agree that that was one nasty weather pattern many will not forget. There are two… Read More
It’s not the forecast anyone in Ontario wants to hear. While some are still finishing up 2019 harvest — a season hampered by a cool, wet spring, a drought, then a nasty fall — weather guru Drew Lerner, of World Weather Inc, says farmers may have to be just as patient in 2020. On the… Read More
Alberta’s northern agricultural regions are asking people not to snowmobile in areas where crops still remain unharvested. “It’s a disaster…in many parts of the Peace River region,” says Canterra Seeds’ Jesse Meyer. “We’ve got areas that are well under half done – so over half of the crop is still in the field.” Meyer says… Read More
Those in the railway business are already starting to prepare for the winter months that lie ahead. As snowstorms hit parts of the Prairies in the last few weeks. some have wondered if that would put a strain on the movement of grain. David Przednowek, director of sales and marketing for CN Rail, says these… Read More
Over the Thanksgiving long weekend, the province of Manitoba was blanketed with snow in amounts unimaginable for the third week of fall. As of Sunday morning, 50 to 60 millimetres of precipitation had fallen, mainly in the form of snow in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the province, while the central and Interlake regions… Read More
Farmers across the Prairies have had to deal with some wacky weather this year. From little to virtually no moisture during seeding to a full on snow storm near the beginning of fall — Mother Nature has not been kind. This past week in Manitoba, was a struggle for many as the snow came down… Read More
A lot of crazy things can happen when it comes to weather, but a record snowfall in September takes the cake for most this year. Last week meteorologists stunned people in Alberta with their predictions of huge amounts of snow just a week into fall. When the weekend finally arrived, sure enough, so did the… Read More
Soybean harvest is underway in Ontario as the crop matures rapidly. It’s good news for winter wheat growers looking to get the crop planted on soybean ground, says RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson, but there are still plenty of late-planted green soybeans that are a long way from the bin. The prospect of another year of… Read More
Weather has always been an external uncontrollable factor for farmers across the world. Besides having plants in a greenhouse, weather impacts all of us in terms of agronomy, the markets, and the food we buy at the store. Lately, all of this unpredictable weather has reminded some of us that we can be the victims;… Read More
Many corn growers across Ontario continue to hold their breath as the late-planted, slow-developing crop continues its march to maturity. In early September, many growers wondered whether the crop would make it, but after a stretch of good weather and an extended forecast that promises more warm days and good nighttime temperatures, the finish line… Read More
After being at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show this week, it’s very clear that the fate of farmers’ profitability rests firmly in the hands of Mother Nature. Starting in 2018, Mother Nature has not exactly been on friendly terms with farmers. The August rains brought significant DON issues to the corn crop, fall and winter conditions… Read More
The 2019 growing season will go down in the memories of most farmers as one of weather challenge after weather challenge — too dry, too wet, too cool, too cloudy. From Western Canada, across Ontario, and even as far as the east coast, this growing season has swung from one weather extreme to the other,… Read More