2023 harvest stalls amidst wet, cold weather
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, there is a lot more corn still standing in farmers’ fields than usual for this time of year.
“We would expect by the middle of October to have at least 20-25 pre cent of the crop mature, and 10-15 per cent harvested. We might have 1 per cent of the grain corn crop harvested,” said Peter Johnson, a senior agronomist with Real Agriculture.
Ontario’s corn crop is well behind schedule thanks to a lack of sustained heat this summer, said Johnson. And the sudden and constant supply of wet weather over the past two weeks hasn’t helped that, and has all but halted wheat planting, which could have ripple effects two years from now.Combining soybeans near Clinton, Ont., on Oct. 4, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
“Wheat is an incredibly important rotation crop in Ontario. It really does incredible things for soil health. When we put wheat in the crop rotation, we get 5 per cent more corn the next year, and we get 11 per cent more beans the year after that. But, dang it, if it gets too late and it stays wet and we don’t get wheat in the ground, it’s not going to help our rotation very much,” said Johnson, who was the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture’s Provincial Cereal Specialist for 30 years.
Ontario’s other major crop beans looked great, and mostly came off the fields dry thanks to a late September heat wave. But, it was all too good to be true, said Johnson.
“In the London area particularly, soybean yields have been disappointing. They looked amazing, but we had too much rain in July, and that hurt the soybean crop. Wheat yields actually turned out great. Provincially, we’ve had the second highest wheat yield ever,” he said.Soybeans ripening in the fields of Huron County, Ont., on Oct. 19,2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
That’s what can be so deceiving driving around the countryside, the fields of tall corn flowing in the breeze look great, as did the beans, but the fact it’s still in the fields, bodes well for a late, late harvest for Ontario corn producers.
“There’s a lot of corn that did go in early. Maybe by the end of the month, but I’d bet you won’t see combines rolling again until November this year,” said Huron County corn producer Mike Colclough.
“I had one farmer joke with me that we might still be combining corn when we’re listening to Christmas carols. Not the way we’d like it to be,” said Johnson.Corn slowly maturing in the fields of Huron County, Ont., on Oct. 19, 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
But, if you’re going to farm, you’ve got to find silver linings, which is what Colclough is trying to do as he watches the skies.
“Not perfect. It’s never perfect, but, it’s good enough, let’s put it that way. Timely rains came just in time, in our area at least,” said the Holmesville area farmer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Flammable kids' sleepwear, salmonella-contaminated chips: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for various items this week, including kids' bassinets, chips, and stoves. Here's what to watch out for.
U.S. ambassador 'not aware' of any plans for Trudeau-Trump meeting
Canada's Ambassador to the United States says she's 'not aware' of any plans for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet with former U.S. president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before the November American election.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Sentencing trial set to begin for Florida man who executed 5 women at a bank in 2019
Zephen Xaver walked into a central Florida bank in 2019, fatally shot five women and then called police to tell them what he did. Now 12 jurors will decide whether the 27-year-old former prison guard trainee is sentenced to death or life without parole.
'How do you get hypothermia in a prison?' Records show hospitalizations among Virginia inmates
The Virginia State Police investigator seemed puzzled about what the inmate was describing: "unbearable" conditions at a prison so cold that toilet water would freeze over and inmates were repeatedly treated for hypothermia.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
What we've learned so far in the Trump hush money trial and what to watch for as it wraps up
Testimony in the hush money trial of Donald Trump is set to conclude in the coming days, putting the landmark case on track for jury deliberations that will determine whether it ends in a mistrial, an acquittal — or the first-ever felony conviction of a former American president.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.