Farmers brace for potential record-setting corn and soybean crop
It’s been a summer to remember for farmers across Ontario.
Dry planting, timely rains and months of warm, humid weather, have some farmers realistically expecting record-setting yields come harvest time.
“A lot can happen between now and harvest. I hope we see maturity of the corn here in the next two weeks, then we’ll need another three to four weeks for it to dry down,” says Blyth-area farmer, Peter Heinrich. “But, I think, there will be some fields that will be breaking records, yes.”
Aside from recent hail storms ruining some farmer’s crops, the weather has been almost perfect for growing anything, but especially corn and soybeans. The two main crops grown by Ontario farmers.
“It’s always been warm. We’ve never really had a cold spell, so it never really slowed down which we like to see. Especially this fall, energy costs are going to be high and this carbon tax business adds on top of that. So, drying is a huge expense, so the drier we can get the corn at harvest, the more money in our pockets,” says Heinrich.
The annual Great Ontario Yield Tour by Farms.Com experts Moe Agostino and Abhinesh Gopal, predicts Ontario corn yields to reach 191 bushels per acre, beating the 2018 record of 183 bushels per acre. Soybeans are expected to just miss records, hitting 51.7 bushels per acre, just below last year’s 53 bushels per acre.
But, the ever precautious agriculture community isn’t counting the kernels before their combined.
“The crop isn’t in the bin yet,” But, I’m excited. It looks good, but I won’t say it’s a record yet,” says Holmesville-area farmer, Mike Colclough.
Harvest will likely be one to two weeks ahead of schedule, due to the pristine summer conditions. Farmers can hardly wait to get their excellent crops off the fiel, and into the safety of their combines, bins, and elevators.
“Crops sure look good. Weather has been just right. Right amount of rain, and everything, but Mother Nature always has the last say, so we’ll see,” says Colclough.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.