Where is all the heat?

[BreadWinner]

Another cold summer in Western Canada. If your canola is in full bloom it is another 8 weeks till swathing, that is if it stays this temp. Just a reminder that this crop is far from in the bin. Could this be the year that no crop is produced in Sask, Man, and Alberta, with all I have experienced in the past Ten years I wouldn't be suprised.

[furrowtickler]

You could be right, we were supposed to have sun and heat all week - we had one day. Also looks like we are going to be coolish and wet this week again. Worse case senario - spend a pile on fugicide and potential insects just to have it freeze in mid to late aug, even a frost in early sept will be a wreck for at least 1/3 of western Canada. Let's hope aug is hot and dry.

[parsley]

Sweltering working in the garden today.

And it is so dry, I have to soak all the flower gardens and vegetable gardens as the corn is turning yellow and all the plants are droopy from lack of moisture.

Trapped 22 moles, so far.

Travelling yesterday, north on #9,observed haying has started, and a lot of brome alfalfa fields have swaths of 6 or more rounds.

One wheat field in the Quappelle is headed out and absolutely fantastic.

Lots of canola, but patchy and a lot late.

I saw: No flax. No oats. Lots of herds of cattle, mainly Hereford and Angus. Saw a lot of foot rot. Pars.

[bucket]

For all those on other threads saying how they got their ass in gear and seeded before the rain, they don't realize how far behind the crop is.

I haven't seen one crop heading out yet, or even close for that matter.

50 bucks an acre for unseeded is a bargain to crop insurance compared to the yield losses that are coming.

And then those not in crop insurance are going to be yelling.

[parsley]

bucket, actually. some farmers NOT enrolled in CI, have already made a choice to sidestep CI, and put a contingency plan(s) in place. In case of crop failure. Or in case of drought or flood or grasshooppers. Or sickness.
Pars

[bucket]

Parsley

Some farmers. Is that a handful?

Just curious, as a young farmer, how does one put away enough money for a disaster considering the last decade of farming? That decade has included late years, shitty grain, drought, frost, you get the picture.

Those "some farmers" - are they under the age of 50?

[Burbert]

Put money aside for bad years. That is a totally new concept. Self insured, just like the government. Modern way of doin it. To hell with CI. Yeah right. There are lottsa us out here self insured. If'n all else fails, snivelling and whinning will carry the day. In reality, thats the usual MO

[parsley]

Some are old. Some are young.

[parsley]

Here's two before I go to my mole traps, bucket.

1. Live a lifestyle you can afford.(Don't borrow money for anything that does not make you money)
2. Not all eggs in one basket.(Don't plant wall to wall flax and have nothing else to sell)


btw, I should have been more specific on CI...off the top of my hat..some in twenties, some thirties, fifties, others sixties. (We were prob in our forties when we stopped.) Pars

[parsley]

bucket,

Let's pick 42,000 farmers, (round number), in Saskatchewan

If you look at Crop Insurnace statistics at:
https://connect.saskcropinsurance.com/ClaimStatistics/ClaimStat?Page=getPeriod


it lists the

"Post-harvest Claims Reported in 2009 (last updated December 28, 2009 )"

It is listed according to Regions

In Saskatchewan, the Total Number of CI Claims Registered was 5302.

1129 Claims Withdrawn/ No Payable Loss

3114 Claims Paid

Total Amount Paid $32,456,021.00

https://connect.saskcropinsurance.com/ClaimStatistics/ClaimStat?Page=getPeriod

It was a bad fall. Only 5302 farmers registered for a claim, out of 42,000 farmers.

A lot of them grow grain.

So.....would it be that almost all the farmers didn't have claims in the 2009 horrible autumn, or would it be that they didn't carry CI, or simply forgot to sign up in the spring?

I would say a lot don't carry CI. Agree? And then I would assume that at least four more farmers than a "handful" are under 40. Am I presuming too much? Pars

[parsley]

As a matter of interest, look at the Crop Insurance Unseeded Acreage option.
Every farmer had the option to insure if he felt he could not afford to operate with a loss.

I note only 381 farmers registered an unseeded acreage loss claim. No many, right? Near perfect seeding conditions? Insurance not necessary because of viability? Forgot?

"Unseeded Acreage Claims Reported in 2009 (last updated December 28, 2009 )"

at:
https://connect.saskcropinsurance.com/ClaimStatistics/ClaimStat?Page=getPeriod

381 Claims Registered
150 Claims Withdrawn/ No Payable Loss 224 Claims Paid
Total Amount Paid $459,599.00

How will the CI stats read in December 2010? Pars

[SASKFARMER3]

I take pictures of crop every week for last 4 years and its fun to compare. This year Durum ahead by one week. Canola ahead by one week hrs one week later and barley ahead peas ahead oats ahead.

[ado089]

Bucket, I beleive that comment was directed towards me. Crop in before May 15 looks great. The canola has been flowering hard for two weeks now, wheat is headed out, infact I have a buddy that was spraying for midge on the weekend near Hafford. Don't get me wrong, it's late for being in the ground this long but it has a chance. Full bloom on canola, heading on the cerals and first cut hay during Stampede week is pretty average if you ask me. There is however a difference between the areas that have only had 12" of rain compared to 20".