It has been a difficult year for many. The mental stress is the worst as it is difficult to escape from.
We have seen wet years before but in my 30 some years of farming we have seen more extreme weather events in the last 10 - 15 years than in the previous 30. The insurance industry is well aware of this and has paid out billions in claims.
While many will deny the role that climate change may be having in changing weather patterns the reality is the artic is changing rapidly and the loss of summer ice and increased absorption of the suns energy will speed up the process.
What impact this is having on weather patterns is not cut and dried, but you would have to be living in a cave to think it won't have an impact. The science predicted increased rainfall events and it is happening.
Farmers will adapt as much as possible but after 30-40 inches of rain in the Moosimin area it is difficult to get anything done.
What continues to amaze me is that so many farmers spend so much to grow that extra bushel in a flooded market! Why not adopt a lower cost production system, reduce the supplies and increase net incomes?
It is difficult to grow your way out of depressed prices when the market can't take your product. Farmers are spraying more, fertilizing more, buying expensive equipment and not making any more profit on bigger acreages.
Farmers have become addicted to expensive seed, chemicals and technology some of which has benefits and some of which is unnecessary or a bad investment.
Farmers are so brain washed about zero till they are reluctant to cultivate chronically wet land in order to help dry it out. Zero tillage has many benefits, but if you can't seed your cereal stubble in a wet spell perhaps it is time to pull out the cultivator this fall before next years seeding is delayed by spring runoff.
Farmers will adapt to the reality or perish.
We have seen wet years before but in my 30 some years of farming we have seen more extreme weather events in the last 10 - 15 years than in the previous 30. The insurance industry is well aware of this and has paid out billions in claims.
While many will deny the role that climate change may be having in changing weather patterns the reality is the artic is changing rapidly and the loss of summer ice and increased absorption of the suns energy will speed up the process.
What impact this is having on weather patterns is not cut and dried, but you would have to be living in a cave to think it won't have an impact. The science predicted increased rainfall events and it is happening.
Farmers will adapt as much as possible but after 30-40 inches of rain in the Moosimin area it is difficult to get anything done.
What continues to amaze me is that so many farmers spend so much to grow that extra bushel in a flooded market! Why not adopt a lower cost production system, reduce the supplies and increase net incomes?
It is difficult to grow your way out of depressed prices when the market can't take your product. Farmers are spraying more, fertilizing more, buying expensive equipment and not making any more profit on bigger acreages.
Farmers have become addicted to expensive seed, chemicals and technology some of which has benefits and some of which is unnecessary or a bad investment.
Farmers are so brain washed about zero till they are reluctant to cultivate chronically wet land in order to help dry it out. Zero tillage has many benefits, but if you can't seed your cereal stubble in a wet spell perhaps it is time to pull out the cultivator this fall before next years seeding is delayed by spring runoff.
Farmers will adapt to the reality or perish.
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