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Good weather could bring one of best crop yields, says specialist
Commodity prices good which could prove beneficial By Dan Schwab
Wednesday April 16, 2008 If Mother Nature blesses Perth County with fitting weather conditions, this year could yield one of the best crop seasons in recent memory, says Peter Johnson, a Ministry of Agriculture crop specialist.
With commodity prices at the upper end of the scale, field crop farmers could see a decent return on their investment, for the first time in decades.
“Our inputs, for the most part, haven’t gone up as much as crop prices have gone up. What we really have is a one-year window of opportunity to get back to where we probably should be every year, but we’re not,” Johnson says.
He says farmers are counting on warm temperatures and dry weather before the first seeds are planted, which could be as early as this week or as late as the beginning of June, Johnson says.
“There’s no question that we have some snow mould in some early planted wheat and that’s a disease that, the longer it’s under snow, the worse the disease gets, but in the fields that I’ve looked at, it looks like most of the plants are still alive,” he says.
He adds that the wheat crop is in “very good shape compared to normal,” which is sparking a great deal of enthusiasm among producers.
“For probably eight out of the last 10 years, field crop farmers have struggled to make any money at all,” he says. “But this year, if we get a reasonable harvest and the prices stay where they are, we will actually get a decent return on our investment. And that will be the first time that we’ve had a good return on our investment in 10 years, maybe 30 years.”
With commodity prices sitting high right now, with corn worth more than $5 a bushel, wheat in the $6.50 range and soybeans at more than $10, there is an air of optimism on the farm.
Johnson says that although a successful season won’t necessarily “pay for the farm in one year,” producers will at least get a reasonable rate of return on their investments in equipment and land.
“It’s certainly an exciting time,” he says.
“(Farmers) are pumped in terms of looking forward and doing everything they can to make sure they have a good crop in the combine and in the bin come fall.”
It’s also too early to tell if disease or insects will be a problem.
White grubs are already making their presence known in larger fields and Johnson says the pests can be quite damaging.
Additionally, snow mould is at higher levels this year than in the past decade due to a continuous snow cover over the winter.
“We’re not out of the woods by any means,” he says. “We’re on the lookout for absolutely everything.”
Johnson also warns that this year’s opportunity for farmers could be gone by next season, as fertilizer prices are expected to triple by next year.
Combined with rising fuel prices, it could mean another troublesome year for producers in 2009.
“It’s a long way between planting and harvest and for corn and soybeans, we haven’t even planted yet. But if we can do it, this is the year, no question,” he adds. |
