Friday Crop Report on a Thursday!

[helmsdale]

Peas have run anywhere from 2 to 12.5. Should average about 8-9.

Mustard ready to go except for the kochia... what to do?

Durum finishing fast.

General "from the road" view is that fields are getting greener. Kochia is taking over.

I'm smashing guards, destroying knives, wearing out skid plates, and thrashing new combine elements. Starting to look forward to winter already...

[fjlip]

An election stops all Federal help.

Part of the plan.

Oh sask canola and it’s stupid 16.6 mt crop as for your Checkoff back there not even in the game. This is what your money is paying for complete bullshit.

This month is when you NEED to apply for a refund from canola/wheat levies...just reminding

[BreadWinner]

You know there are so much red tape in getting back your checkoff you would think it was their money. On one you have to answer a survey before it will let you access the forms. You are not allowed to vote even though you don’t always get all your money back. If one part of your name or address does not match the elevator receipt your shit out of luck. If they don’t receive your rebate form or it magically gets lost it’s your tough luck. They all have different rules and dates when the checkoff rebate form is due. If you have to call them they are extremely rude it’s like your stealing from them. I jumped through all the hoops and hope to get over $10,000 back this year.
Poor pea producers get it in the rear and don’t even get a thanks. Maybe they will find a new market for your 5bus/ac crop.

[furrowtickler]

Got done cutting greenfeed. Worst was straight oats on ground I fed cows on last winter. Lots of om and cow poop but oats packed it in. Best stand was in grass 4 years ago and fallowed. It was barley and oats and way better. Aside from some spots barley appears better than the wheat. Think it’s the short maturity wheat I grow cause neighbours longer maturing varieties are way better. Will have enough feed for the cows. Sure can tell fields which had lots of straw baled off vs little. Wow what a stark difference. We don’t take hardly any for last 6 years as we could see it was not beneficial for the land. These straight cow guys will have to realize this. I am a cow guy too and this issue keeps me up at night about sustainability in dry years knowing straw removal sets you back on crops and forage when dry. As I said before wheat just sucks. Think canola will outyield it this year and that’s not saying much.

Cutting fabas to bale up . SFA there

[furrowtickler]

Making silage bales

[SASKFARMER]

Two barley done now started the second two hope to harvest Sunday and Monday.

[blackpowder]

You know there are so much red tape in getting back your checkoff you would think it was their money. On one you have to answer a survey before it will let you access the forms. You are not allowed to vote even though you don’t always get all your money back. If one part of your name or address does not match the elevator receipt your shit out of luck. If they don’t receive your rebate form or it magically gets lost it’s your tough luck. They all have different rules and dates when the checkoff rebate form is due. If you have to call them they are extremely rude it’s like your stealing from them. I jumped through all the hoops and hope to get over $10,000 back this year.
Poor pea producers get it in the rear and don’t even get a thanks. Maybe they will find a new market for your 5bus/ac crop.

Here in AB, fairly easy, no questions asked. But takes months. Keep it up boys.

[Old Cowzilla]

Neighbor stopped in this morn and said he did the math. Enough feed till Jan 1 and he's not buying any so cows are leaving and hay equipment is for sale. Not Good . Will cut the last of my greenfeed tomorrow. Nobody seems to be using their discbines these days just 25 or 30 foot swathers !

[GDR]

If you drew a line between Caroline and Rocky, our farm would be about 4 miles East of that, and closer to Caroline than Rocky. Very little crop farming west of here. If you took 22, on the west side of the Clearwater river
, That is much different soil, topography and even climate.
I've been back and forth to Olds this summer and thought things looked good to the north and west. Then I detoured south, and east. The difference was stark. Brown pasture,brown hayfields, sparse grey canola except in the bottoms. And that is just within a few miles.
You definitely weren't exaggerating. Worse to be that Close to the good crops. My sympathies to you folks

Ya Olds and NW actually looks pretty good. It's not all bad, wife made pickles today, usually don't get cucumbers till September during harvest. Also got a couple watermelons that are already as big as any weve had before and likely still got a month plus of growing yet.

Maybe next year I should grow wall to wall melons and cukes!

[GDR]

Neighbor stopped in this morn and said he did the math. Enough feed till Jan 1 and he's not buying any so cows are leaving and hay equipment is for sale. Not Good . Will cut the last of my greenfeed tomorrow. Nobody seems to be using their discbines these days just 25 or 30 foot swathers !

I think buddy would be better off to sell cows and hay now if that's the plan. Cows are down maybe 20 cents here since early summer but think there is more downside and will take till next summer to come back up I bet, and that feed is worth more than terds.

[helmsdale]

Neighbor stopped in this morn and said he did the math. Enough feed till Jan 1 and he's not buying any so cows are leaving and hay equipment is for sale. Not Good . Will cut the last of my greenfeed tomorrow. Nobody seems to be using their discbines these days just 25 or 30 foot swathers !

The old duplex 50s are getting resurrected around here. Makes a nice pile.

[woodland]

Another hot dry week here.
The floating pumps are no longer floating in the middle of some dugouts. Never seen them this low before. Should be ok to finish off this year but next year isn’t looking good.

It seems all I do is deal with water or the lack thereof these days. Managed to scrounge up a few more quarters of grass that needs 1.5 miles of fence ASAP to move the hungry cows into. I now know what I’m doing next week.


The corn is now tasseling and putting on cobs at 4-7 feet tall. Very impressed with how it’s handling these conditions. AF5 mentioned the water efficiency of it and that’s definitely true. Compared to barley we planted the same day in the same field conditions it’s got at least three times the tonnage. It will definitely help keep the Moo Cows happy this winter.


The equipment always picks a good spot/time to die. Like on the road just before dark. Had to drag it home when the engine died for no reason or else the thieves would pick it clean like coyotes by morning. Seems to be a bad year for breakdowns here considering there hasn’t been much crop to deal with.

Hopefully we can get the rest of yearling steers brought home out of the bush to get wheels under them shortly. They missed this weeks sale after winning the game of hide and go seek in the muskeg. Too bad inflation only hit the inputs for cattle and not the price of them. Maybe next year ……………

Finally started delivering some bales and the phone keeps ringing with folks looking for more. Might end up selling every hay bale (even the ugly ones) on the place at these prices.

Be careful everyone as the muskegs west of us flared up again and it’s definitely a concern for us out here. 🍀

P.S. SF that is a nice swath of barley👍