Interesting drive.

[freewheat]

Well, I went this week to Hanna Alberta to help my bro-in-law with home renovations. Went down to Regina and dropped off kids with grandparents, then up to Kenaston across to Rosetown, and thence to Hanna. Here is what I saw...

The usually bone dry country has a good, no great looking crop.

Lodging in dryland wheat west of outlook of all places.

Fat canola swaths in the desert west tof Kindersley, and on non-irrigated Outlook land.

Hanna was green. Yes GREEN. The cacti are drowning.

Now, I must explain these good crops.

I can't comment much on lentils because I can't grow them, but many lentils out there. MANY. I would say half have been sprayed, a quarter are grass green, and a quarter ready to spray.

Wheat/durum. Maybe a quarter are ready within a week, another quarter within 2, but I would say HALF of the wheat needs near a month. Much of it is VERY GREEN, which shocked me. Nice crop though, IF we get a frost free September.

The canola situation. Not being canola country really, there were relatively few canola fields, a few were harvested, most swathed. BUT the western guys must not have gotten the memo regarding when to cut canola. It was all cut dead green. The stalks were still green as grass, after fields had been cut for probably a week! It should beat frost, but having experience cutting green canola, They are leaving some yield and maybe grade on the table. May be little choice this year, and they are probably thinking this is late for them.

So there are some bushels where normally there aint, if she makes it. For many, this must be a once in a lifetime crop. But alas, they may have 45 lb wheat in the end.

For you on the vast treeless plains, welcome to the struggles of the northeast. The good news is if you think that your wet, you aint wet, not even close.

Man we live in a big land! The prairies are huge, vast areas of treeless plains, and I continually wondered at the settlers who had to have been intimidated by this stretch of dry country, with no building materials, little water, and soil that looks like dry cement. I think it is a wonderful country in its own right, but I welcomed the first sight of groves of poplar, and the parkland of home, where if need be you could start a fire, build a lean-to, and drink slough water in abundance if you were ever stranded!!!lol

I a forest fringer, am lost on the open plains, just as the prairie dwellers I know are lost in our area.

I love this province. Good luck to any of you with the great wheat/durum that is so very green. You deserve a stand like that once in a while!!!

Just give us drowned out souls a kick at her next year please. Sorry guys, but we badly need a drought here.

[dave4441]

Not uncommon to have 40 bu canola in Kindersley. You make it sound like normally we get a 5 bu crop of canola, but this year there, amazingly is a crop in this area. THink you are a little out of touch.

[freewheat]

I guess I should clarify. I have driven the HIGHWAY from Saskatoon to Calgary EACH year since 1998, several times. I had never until this year seen a very good crop in that area. My clarification is that I am only seeing along the highway. I don't doubt there are good areas somewhere. Until this year I had not seen them.

[SASKFARMER3]

Dave farmers in the east have produced for years way more grain than the west that's a fact. Only thing when one looks on crop insurance you have guys like our neighbor no fert for 100 years and direct seeds every year oats and flax. Guess what when guy is doing that on 1000 acres each it takes my 120 plus oats average down real fast. Most larger progressive farmers in east have gotten their because their like Hudye soils service they giver all and have for years way longer than the guys in west. Reality you guys have a very nice crop very nice. Late wheat and durum but very very nice. This isn't normal and if it is wow good for you guys but east is getting so wet its not even funny anymore.

[furrowtickler]

Wow are you out to lunch somtimes s/f, I can list at least a dozen outlets off the top of my head "out west" here. Yep no progrsive farmers anywhere out here - nope. BTW, done peas 50-65bpa, Started canola anywhere from 45-60bpa. But hey we just got lucky thats all no supper management skills like yourself though.

[SASKFARMER3]

Furrow take a pill I'm telling dave that kindersley isn't tisdale for canola. Your in canola country yes. But kindersly south was discer country up until last 10 sorry have some rain and god bless you like tom says

[furrowtickler]

Not realy, you should reread your post, you sure made it sound like we have no clue how to farm out west here - that's all. Any farm anywhere can grow good crops with proper management and LUCK with mother nature not just certain farms in certain areas of western canada. Sorry it just irks me when some guys spout off about how wounderfull they are and when they stumble a little the world comes to an end.
Those "farms" down around Kindersly produce alot of grain in average years givin they get half the rainfall on average you do. In fact it is $/ac net that is important at the end of the day not bus/ac. Ask some of those guys how they made out on lentils last year - I would bet the net return would be almost tripple your 120 bus oats. We are all the same here, exept for burbot, we just farm accordingly to the enviroment we live and produce crops that fit. Every year there are challenges some where in western canada thats a fact - it is a huge area realy. We all have been there, either in dought or flooding but this year is one for the record books I'll give you that. But it is not over yet.
I have seen alot of very progressive farms in the southwest and some still stuck in the 70's, but also seen the same thing in every corner of the province. That does not make one better or worse than the other - there are good and bad points to both ways.
And yea I am chilling with a 'pil'.
Have a good one too.

[SASKFARMER3]

Just that Dave gets my goat with his 40 average for canola in that area. I worked their in 80s lucky to get a crop then dad talked about the 60s then the 30s etc etc. Its the triangle. Great they have excellent crops but normal is anything normal any more. Bring on a drought please.
Yea oh shit we will stumble this year. But with the amount of moisture on ground now we don't need any snow or rain till late June next summer at the earliest. Sadly as the gauge gets to 3 and 4 maybe July. Seeding next year is getting closer to not happening. No snow all winter would be nice but realistically it will and probably mountain full.

[freewheat]

I see both of your points guys.

[dave4441]

With hybrids and the lack of disease, guys shoot for a 40 bu crop in this area. Weather you believe what i say is irrelevant.

SK3 is talking about the 80s. Things have changed alot. Look at average yields on Sask Ag site. for canola. West side of province is a bushel or two less then east side of the province. Yes there is bin busters on certain years on east side and drought on west side, but put a sock in it if you think that there is low production on the west side, or in South West for that matter.

Where does the market pay more for land? I am guessing that is Rosetown, but land has traded for $1200 per acre in south-west so i guess someone is thinking the value is there. What is land trading for in your area SK3?

[SASKFARMER3]

$199,000.00 to $256,000.00 just south of me D A V E !!!!!

[SASKFARMER3]

Dave if the 80s 60 30s how did that area do. Direct seeding wont save a no rain event. Sorry that's the facts. Yes with Hybrids etc most do shoot for the moon. But we have a better chance of hitting it most years out east.

[newguy]

We actually farmed in the ne and south sask in the 80s. Now with the weather and farming the south can get very good crops too. We still will never have those cool nights and less wind that canola and other crops love. Back then roundup was 40 dollars a liter. Biggest problem up there was weed conrol. Now with cheaper chemicals and new canola production in the NE is by far the best in SASK.ON a normal year...

[dave4441]

We have grown average crops on 3 or 4 inches of rain with zero till. Yes, one year out of 10 we have a complete wreck, 2 yrs are so so and the other 7 tend to be pretty good. We have not used discers on our farm for 15 years.

[fjlip]

Dave, that's darn close to the NE, perhaps for opposite reasons. Two years it freezes to crap, 2 years terrible grades due to wet late harvests, and 6 years are good. 40bu canola is 50% of the time due to worms, diseases, too wet, or too weedy.
Our crop insurance averages are 33 canola, 41 wheat, 62 barley and 75 oats, all on stubble, fallow is rare.
The land is cheaper here but there are reasons. More snow, later seeding, higher humidity, lots of potholes, drainage issues and at least 4C colder than you everyday. Hmmm, now that I think about it, why do I stay here?