‘Hot and dry weather is a good thing’, farmers comment on ‘drought-like’ May
It's likely not the optimistic tone many people might expect to hear, after days of high temperatures and constant sunshine.
"We've actually had almost a drought in May. A drought in May, in Ontario, you could not ask for anything better," said Peter Johnson.
Johnson is an agronomist who hosts a weekly podcast called Wheat Pete’s Word, "So far, it's just going gangbusters and hopefully we keep doing that."
Springfield-area farmer Greg Fentie said moisture from the winter and some good rains early in the spring were key, "As long as the seed was planted in moisture, a little bit of hot weather and dry weather is a good thing."
Johnson and Fentie said many crops, including soybeans and corn, are like people; for them, a little bit of stress is actually a good thing.
"This dry weather will allow those roots to penetrate further down into the ground,” said Fentie. “Scavenge more moisture, scavenge more nutrients, and actually set the crop up better later on in the season."
There are variables though. High spots will loose moisture faster, soil that has more sand or clay needs more rain, and grain crops need more water.
Agronomist and podcaster Peter Johnson inspected a field near Lucan, Ont. on June 1, 2023. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
"They need rain quite badly, if they can get it,” said Johnson. “They're surviving on subsoil moisture."
Fentie said the rain also helps with the fertilizing process.
With fertilizer prices still high, farmers want to get the best bang for their buck.
"That fertilizer pellet doesn't just hop over into the plant. It needs a little bit of moisture to carry it there. We need some moisture to fill that grain head out," said Fentie.
Johnson said farmers have long relied on each other for ideas on how to deal with issues like drought stress, disease, and pests. He said doing the podcast and interacting on social media has only amplified that experience.
Springfield-area farmer Greg Fentie checked the moisture depth on June 1, 2023, to see how far down corn seeds need to go. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
"It's like a coffee shop on steroids,” he said. The sharing of ideas and solutions now operates on a global scale, "I get questions from Texas, from South Africa, from Australia. It's a global reach and it shows you how big that coffee shop has become."
Johnson and Fentie said strides have been made to develop more drought tolerant corn.
Johnson said work is now being done on more drought tolerant wheat as well.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.