Corn is it the next Crop for Saskatchewan!

[SASKFARMER3]

We had some grown in our area last year and I know their is lots going in around Strasbourg north.
Yield by the local guy was not harvested till spring and went 76 Dry. Harvested stuff north at lake Lenore was 100 Wet I think.
The dry stuff graded a 2 and he lost yield from winter due to deer and snow etc.
So 437 a acre cost are like canola.
So Soy in comparison the seed costs are nuts. The RR is cheap and fert etc is cheap but your dealing with a low yielding crop. Bushels are what pays the bills.
Oats at 100 at 4 makes money but oats at 100 at 1.75 doesn't.
Who tried some and how is it doing in Saskatchewan. I wish we had done a 80 acre piece or a quarter.

[ado089]

Starting nearly 10 years ago I began
growing grazing corn and did so for 4-5
years. Some years it did well but if
it's a little cool and/or dry it does
SFA. At the end of the day it couldn't
beat oats. On the fertilizer side
feeding it the same as canola is a good
start but it needs much more to really
perform. It's very expensive crop to
grow unless you have access to manure or
sludge.

[SASKFARMER3]

Ok pig shit how would it react to that?

[ado089]

It loves it. The best results I've seen
on corn in non traditional areas was
where the city of Calgary was injecting
sewage slugde. It was the only crop that
would grow without lodging. It's also a
great way to cycle phosphate to help
intensify manure management for those in
regulated areas.

[errolanderson]

These hot cash corn prices of a few
months ago are now in the rearview
mirror. Both cash corn and soybean
prices are now at a high risk of a major
price break heading into fall (IMO).

Astute marketing will be key to protect
revenues in these crops or it could
really bite unprotected growers.

[furrowtickler]

Astute marketing don't don't prevent a killing frost

[errolanderson]

furrow . . . a killing frost would flood
our market with feed which would be quite
bearish toward our barley and feed wheat
markets.Lower U.S. corn prices will
compete in Alberta feedlot rations if the
corn cash breaks toward $4.50/bu this
fall.

[furrowtickler]

A killing frost produces zero bushels per ac in this part of the world.

[errolanderson]

furrow . . . understand your concern. If
you don't want to commit product to a
buyer and you are want to guard prices
in case of a further downtrend . . .
consider scaling in some put options in
your risk management portfolio.

Have been purchasing Nov soybean put
options this week as a guard for canola.
IMO believe that beans may have more
downside risk than canola heading into
fall.But markets have made me look like
a fool as well.

If frost does nip you, you have no
production/delivery commitment for fall
movement. Also, a frost in Canada would
have limited impact of the American bean
market. And who knows, maybe your puts
kick-in bigtime (increase in premium)
should markets dump into the fall
market.

[furrowtickler]

Absolutely right on now Errol, with a crop like corn or soyabean , there is a chance you will get zero bus.. So hedging bets as you laid out is the only possible way to go if you feel the need to protect prices somewhat. Everybodies risk tolerance level is different, mine less with age and past expeirience.

[Daylate]

Never grow more than you can afford to loose sf3. I tried 40 acres last year. It worked. plan on possibly missing the remembrance day service to combine it. We dried it down and sold it to terra grain at belle plain for 7.10 a bu and net bushels were 103. Seemed like it was going 115ish off the combine.
anyhow its tricked us into trying a quarter this year. like everything else its off to a slow start but hoping to harverst it again.fun to grow and harvest though.
We're a half hour north of Strasbourg. Rep grew some too with similar results.
and ya im one of them dumb asses with corn and durum on the farm. I love durum, but regardless our days are numbered for growing durum up here, and for years ive been trying to find an alternative to wheat. Have also grown soys 2 different years. wont grow them again till wheat is $4 and Urea is $800 again. Then it pays to put in soys. (some years its not how much you make, its how little you lose,lol)

[Daylate]

soys went 28bu the first year and 25 the next, so just break even this was 3 and 4 years ago. I grew then on CL canola ground, I know wheat stubble is ideal but I will never replace canola with soys around here, just wheat. and with these wheat prices it doesn't pay here.

[hobbyfrmr]

I agree with daylate. There was a stretch of years
from 99 to about 2005 where I would plan my
farm budgets around losing the least amount of
money instead of planning to make the most
profit. That's why I am not a gazillionare!
I hope those days are well behind me.
I swore off wheat for about a decade, oats and
canola paid the bills. I just started back onto
wheat due to better prices.
I see the google farmer next door is growing some
corn. There must be something good about it, he
is very successful and open to change.
My choice for diversification is hempseed. So far,
so good. Probably because I am horribly
inefficient and seed in June!