high input farmers

[furrowtickler]

I do not think fertilizer is ever a bad
Investment. NPKS. it will get used sometime.
Rented land might be a slightly different story for large apps. Of phosphorus.
Your fixed costs do not care if it rains or not.
The accountant still has to be paid, machinery insurance etc. If it does rain , you probably should be in a position to capitalize on it ,. Clean and fertile. Skip one of those 2
And your waisting everything. On poor land , do the minimum on the total crap and pour it to the good spots.
Sand dunes and saline you can improve but , rarely ever pay back no matter how hard you try.
What is sadly needed is a cheaper generic tolerant Canola seed to be grown on the poorest soils.
To lower the total $ at risk

You bring up a good point on seed costs .
Each canola company has cheaper varieties available, they may have been out for several years but still available. If you have a good seed rep in your area , have that discussion. Info like that from retailers may be hard to get though .... they only push what makes them margin the majority of the time .
We have a 700 ac block of lighter land that got fried bad and wished now we did exactly what you just mentioned.

Soybeans and corn have backed them selves into a corner as well , especially soybeans .
End of the day most of us live in a high risk growing environment in dry land farming in western Canada and options as you bring up sawfly should be more readily available I agree .
Not all of us farm deep black soils with average rain fall over 10 in plus ..... but the whole ag industry charges like we do ......

[Sheepwheat]

There are non high input farmers still?

[furrowtickler]

There are non high input farmers still?

Most are mid input farmers to be honest, but we all get painted with the same brush , even by those who do / should know better .

[jazz]

There are non high input farmers still?

I think its relative sheep. Most guys are pretty equal on fertility but there are a lot of snake oil application out there. I saw some of them tried when the temps turned hot. Spraying for anything they can imagine.

Then there are the depreciated leased equipment flippers but thats a whole other story.

I do have one neighbor still doing half chem fallow though. Seeds with discers. Low cost old school.

[sumdumguy]

I think its relative sheep. Most guys are pretty equal on fertility but there are a lot of snake oil application out there. I saw some of them tried when the temps turned hot. Spraying for anything they can imagine.

Then there are the depreciated leased equipment flippers but thats a whole other story.

I do have one neighbor still doing half chem fallow though. Seeds with discers. Low cost old school.

How is the discer seeded crop ? I often wonder how they would look.

[jazz]

How is the discer seeded crop ? I often wonder how they would look.

Looks good but his expectations are different than most. No debt, swing wrenches and no worries.

Doesnt f around with canola just lentils, wheat, chem fallow. Guy must have a net return that would make most blush.

[Sheepwheat]

Most are mid input farmers to be honest, but we all get painted with the same brush , even by those who do / should know better .

Yeah I need to revise my thoughts. I was thinking mainly fertility and herbicides. I never thought about all the other crap some guys go and throw into the mix. A field not too far from here is interesting as a neighbor must have used a growth regulator. Barley quit heading and quit everything. Looks bizarre as he left a few test strips of no chem. Not the year for a trial like that. Un sprayed barley looks 80. Sprayed looks 40.

[furrowtickler]

Yeah I need to revise my thoughts. I was thinking mainly fertility and herbicides. I never thought about all the other crap some guys go and throw into the mix. A field not too far from here is interesting as a neighbor must have used a growth regulator. Barley quit heading and quit everything. Looks bizarre as he left a few test strips of no chem. Not the year for a trial like that. Un sprayed barley looks 80. Sprayed looks 40.

It’s all just perspective
Guys that use 50lbs N think guys that use 100lbs N are high input users . And the guys that use 100 lbs N think the guys that are using 150N are high input guys . Then there is actually another level above that that are truly the high input guys , but they are very few and far between.

Herbicide use is basically even across the board regardless of what some think
Other inputs such as fungicides , Foliar and products just go up in relation to fertility in most cases .
But I would think 70% are mid range , 10 % low amd 20% in the “high input” club
End of the day , each to their own , most know their limitations of soil and rainfall
One exception this year , most farms upped inputs a bit to try to capitalize on decent crop prices , a few will cash in , most will not , some will get spanked .
The risk of dry land farming

[Marusko]

Maybe the thread should be renamed high risk farmers. Now that I know about the forward contracting guys are doing, I feel there is an extra layer of leveraged risk in this business that we dont need.

heard third-hand about guy who contracted 100bu/ac barley. there's a high risk farmer.

I put Arrow with my Liberty, does that make me a high input farmer?

[Guest]

Did you put this up to see if you could make Chucks head explode!

Chucks comin diving with me in Honduras *