Well another week in August is in the books. Last major rain was now over two weeks ago but since were in harvest mode lets just leave it that way till its all in the bag or bin or pit.
We hit the 7% done mark last night. The first peas were standing nice and yielded ok. Basically they had it real good but the rain could of came a week sooner to save them. Later seeded is helping with bringing up the totals. Standing so nice i couldn't believe how easy the guys that farm in the Dry areas have it. In all my years of growing peas we have never had peas stand for harvest. Some years the whole field is 3 to four inches of mat. This is like playing.
So on politics our idiot is going to go hard on negotiating nafta with USA. Yea green plan push in a nafta agreement. WTF. Get us a good deal and leave your shit agenda to the ones who vote for you. Moron is what this guy is.
Sask party needs a reboot or a clean house or a get some of those useless hanger ons out of their and get fresh new ones. Two terms min is needed in Canada.
NDP get some new blood also as the ones you have running are just as big of a bunch of idiots as you could find.
Both parties need some one with vision to take this province to the next step. Good luck.
Ok here is the crop report. I shouldn't have to rush out to harvest today since a morning shower hit south of valley and probably got the half I'm harvesting today.
HRS is in the final days before guys swath or start to spray before the headers go on and its balls to the wall wheat harvest for our area. The 8/10 we got two weeks ago on Tuesday night really did perk up the crop and help it fill. Tops won't make it but the bottoms will fill real nice. Im thinking some wheat will surpass peoples expectations. Some fields that weren't sprayed with a fungicide might have issues as they are turning way faster than others. Im thinking even in this dry year the fungicide did pay off in yield and weight. 10 days from now we will know. First field was sprayed last Friday and then we took a week off as to early.
Barley early harvested fields are coming off now and actually look great, not chited, cracks are low and protein is low. Go figure but yield is also down. So last year example a 100 bus barley field that didn't make malt is 300 a acre this year a 60 barley that makes malt is 300 a acre. Funny how that works. Later seeded by even a week is going to yield higher and could also make quality for malt. Its such a game its not even funny. We sprayed barley this year with Prosaro will see if it resulted in higher test weight. One 80 acre field was sprayed with a different product.
Oats is one crop that i think will disappoint some. The heat cost oats yield. Light seeds will be the normal. Some early is coming in fast now. Later looks better and probably will also do better as last rain was timely for oats. Most was seeded earlier.
Flax is one crop thats thinner this year and heat did hurt. One field is almost swath ready on drive out. Yield will be down.
Corn is now growing rapidly and if its silage real nice, grain corn is so so this year. very little grown.
Soy has issues all year, some have high hopes some are not sure and some wish they probably would of left the seed at the seed store. Plants should be over the knee and almost at the waist with pods filling and getting ready to really puff up the seeds. Instead it seems the soy has just entered the nice veg state and making pods some filling some flat as a pancake. Long open fall is needed and a rain, a real rain is so needed for soy. Time will tell but maybe it was a good year to not seed soy.
Lentils are non existent in our area but on drive out guys are desiccating and harvesting around regina.
Canola what can i say early fields hit by the heat are turning and some guys have started to swath. No sell the swather bullshit. Some fields on drive out are nice in places but i remember one July morning coming out and pulling over at Edgeley because the hail and rain was so hard. Canola doesn't look bad. But then you go three miles and its WTF. Early seeded around our farm is similar the heat hurt it. Fungicides actually did sweet F#$K all on Canola this year. Later seeded yes but early it was a waste do to the heat and wind. Thin stands don't have disease pressure since it didn't create a greenhouse effect in canopy. So Im tweeting with my prediction for canola for our area Early will be disappointing to below average later seeded will be better so 40% of average. Later is filling nice early bottom pods filled top sick ones are little seeds. Not pepper but little. Funny the one crop we pay so much for seed and spend like a drunken sailor can't take one thing heat of summer. I said it before these new varieties were bred in the wet years and most can't take the excess heat. Now also a timely rain this year made some look like hero and others that missed it a mile away like WTF.
Pastures are hanging on but thats about all. Hay is way less than last year. Guys are looking for straw.
Oh and yes we are working all fields of peas and most canola fields this fall after harvest.
So basically the nice rain two weeks ago did help fill what was their. 4 timely rains i said is all we need one after seeding one farm progress week after spraying, one in heat of July and one exhibition week and boom you have a great year. Oh well three out of 4 isn't bad. Just the July one is probably the most important. 3.05 all year since seeding and yes grass i counted your precious two one tenth rains that dried before they hit the ground below the rain gauge.
So as harvest starts to ramp up and guys are going full speed take time to be careful as its only a crop and the ones a home are way more important than it.
Cheers Mallee you might even get to run a Deere this year if you weren't spending so much time in Calgary.
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