Well the long range forecast don't look good at all. Harvest might be over for some areas, as with temperatures dropping to minus 10-12 in some areas, the ground is freezing up. Even with plus 2-3 temps, the snow will stay on the ground with the days getting shorter. Even if it gets to plus 10-15 for a few days, all crops will have to be dried regardless, and talking to a few farmers, they will not dry 25% moisture barley or oats, as the cost would kill them. Better off to leave it to spring they say. Low lying areas will have to be harvested if possible so the spring floods don't damage the crops even more. Any way you look at it, its going to be costly...drying or leaving the crops out. Its happened before, it will happen again. Looking at the positive side, I remember the begining of hunting season about Nov. 15 one year and it was plus 20, so who knows? What a country.
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Personally on this farm, the last time any crop stayed out, I was told, was 1959. 1968 Nov finish, all crop needed drying. 1974 late Oct dried all. 1980 Nov finish due to zero soil moisture till late June when crop germinated. In all cases quality was feed and costly. Sept 13, 1993 4" heavy wet blowing snow on swaths and standing crops(flattened a 1000 acres here). Snowmobiled between canola swaths in 12" banks. All got done before Oct 13th. 1997 no snow till Dec 29, one guy harrowed freeze dried topsoil just to take a pic. What is normal? -
After the 18 a gradual warm up.Comment
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