weather

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Funny that. We weren't too far away, in a very similar micro-climate and there wasn't a single year between 2002-2014 that we couldn't seed a crop in timely manner in spring, wasn't a year anything went unseeded or unharvested due to excess moisture. Grass seed sown in 2002 didn't germinate until 2003 though and the 09 drought was more severe than either 02 or 03 for us - these 3 being the driest years the area had recorded since records began.

Yes, technically, a few of those years we were able to seed into reasonable conditions, then the mud came in late May or June. Still mudded in the crop in reasonable time every one of those wet years, the only years we have had to leave really significant acres unseeded, and went really late would be 2013, 2006, 2005 and 1990. went around smaller areas in 2017, 2014, and a few others. 2002 and 2003 we still had very good hay crops, but pastures suffered badly, and grain crops were mediocre at best, partly due to varieties chosen for lodging resistance rather than drought resistance.

Most of the land we farm is about the heaviest clay you can find, sitting on nearly impenetrable clay subsoil, with only modest slopes. Don't even try to farm anything flat, regardless of elevation, it is pasture. A 2" rain if it is already wet is nearly fatal. But on a dry year like 2009, what we can grow just amazes anyone from outside this little area. Rented pasture to people from east of Red Deer in 2009, they couldn't believe the grass, hay and crops we had. Combining 130 Bushel barley in 2009 from corner to corner was a pleasure. By 2009, I'd learned the lessons from the previous drought and had a very good year. 2003 was the worst, it rained at least some everywhere except here, we literally had no rainfall during the growing season.

I keep improving things, last year with the extreme wet followed by extreme dry, we still had record wheat crops, very good canola crops, really good hay crops, enough pasture and really pitiful barley(too wet early on, too much tillage, everything else was no till).

[checking]

AF5 has SF3 beat by 2. (maybe even years of mud) That would have to be stressful.

Is there a baked mud pie that can be awarded?

Enough has fallen and recharged that only the soy needs a mid August rain in the area.

Really strange that weather sites can say even to the hour that you are receiving .2mm/hr when it is coming down 13mm/hr, and those sites never change their BS.
Hi, Norway!

[freewheat]

AF5 has SF3 beat by 2. (maybe even years of mud) That would have to be stressful.

If you're handing out pies, include me in the running. Had one year we seeded NOTHING. A year we seeded about 15%, and a year we seeded about half. Have had 6 bushel canola due to flooding, ( we all know rain makes grain, right?), that I couldn't even combine in the fall because it was too wet. So had to get it in the spring. That was the year I left half the crop out over winter, and the year that very nearly finished me. The lost decade which was the span from 2006 to 2016, the farm made zero progress. For a first generation, small farm that has been operating for 26 years, without generational backing, or a whole pile of equity, it has been a real joyous ride. The third and fourth generation farms with grandpas long bought land, dad's land base, and equity coming out of their ying yang, hardly skipped a beat. I don't even think they blinked, actually. Just complained and moaned while they sat in their dad's new machinery, combining the land their dads' cosigned or helped them outright buy, and spent winters in Mexico and Hawaaii, rather than have to stick it out here and work to make a living, embarrassing themselves by pretending how bad it was. They actually never knew how bad it was. wink wink, nudge nudge. We all know these blessed types. Nothing against them. I could have been one of them too, I guess. It is just that they think they had it rough and didn't, that is what bugs me a fair amount. The self centered thoughts that it has been a rough ride, when it truly hasn't. Frustrating sure, but not financially disasterous, or even a blip on their bank balances.

Any wonder I have had enough, and have been building fences and raising sheep? lol

We deal with the hand we are dealt, as good as we can. Now hand over that pie...

[AlbertaFarmer5]

AF5 has SF3 beat by 2. (maybe even years of mud) That would have to be stressful.

The main difference being that I farm in an area where excess moisture will be the limiting factor more often than not, I plan and budget accordingly. Find the methods and crops and equipment that work in these conditions. Do Whatever I can to Get rid of excess water, Improve the soil so it infiltrates instead of drowning out the next spot, And accept that some areas aren't cropland.

I've asked SM3 what he has done but never did get an answer. At some point we need to accept that what we think is normal possibly is the exception , Or that the exceptions can last for an entire career.

[ajl]

AB farmer, how do you get a good crop in mud? My wheat last year was seeded in late May. Some places the tractor spun while trying to pull the drill so had to nudge up the shanks to keep moving. It was coming good when we got 2 inches on June 14. That is a typical rain in mid June around here but it was super saturated from the spring. Couple days later the crop looked sick as it turned brown. After that it recovered but was thin as the tillers were abandoned. Late green tillers came to get frost damaged in Sept. On hilltop there was a thick swath but as soon as you moved off the tops the swath was half as wide. Truly a seed in mud, crop was a dud situation.

[agstar77]

Measuring rain in mm. Only showers since snowmelt. Rain soon or no crop.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

AB farmer, how do you get a good crop in mud? My wheat last year was seeded in late May. Some places the tractor spun while trying to pull the drill so had to nudge up the shanks to keep moving. It was coming good when we got 2 inches on June 14. That is a typical rain in mid June around here but it was super saturated from the spring. Couple days later the crop looked sick as it turned brown. After that it recovered but was thin as the tillers were abandoned. Late green tillers came to get frost damaged in Sept. On hilltop there was a thick swath but as soon as you moved off the tops the swath was half as wide. Truly a seed in mud, crop was a dud situation.

The mud has to eventually dry up to get a good crop, on years where it stays muddy for months it is ugly. As far as seeding into mud, I avoid compaction at all costs. One pass seeding with low ground pressure tires from the tractor back to the pneumatic packer tires(Concord). Doing everything I can to increase OM in the saturation prone soils is helping a lot too.

[Guest]

Were lucky here so far 2.6 “
Talked to a fellow at lampman that got 17.5 “
11” finished us in june in 15

[grassfarmer]

.....Talked to a fellow at lampman that got 17.5 “........

Really? maybe he has the same rain gauge as SF3? Official reports are indicating 200mm (8") That's still a huge amount of rain but to get more than twice that what time period are we talking about?

[foragefarmer]

Agstar

"Measuring rain in mm. Only showers since snowmelt. Rain soon or no crop. "

Are you in the Interlake? Hopefully something this weekend. Good luck to you!