Lentils

[Rareearth]

It's not in the bin! Lentils are very difficult to estimate yield. No disrespect Klause, not many flowers, lots of green growth.

We have another 4 or 5 weeks till harvest starts, and it isn't drying down very fast today. Today one of the hottest, high humidity days I can remember for a long time. We aren't very close to the equator, or ocean.

Way more yield and quality risk, than most understand. It doesn't really matter what or who sees the satellite pics, they have to make a decision, buy - hold or sell. Farmers with feet on the ground, crop experience, market intelligence also have to make decisions, sell -hold- but out, just two ends of the spectrum. Many farmers have a network of friends, Twitter or other wise which is also effective.

Should farmers try and buy out the contracts, or resell them? There is no effective hedge mechanism for farmers under these circumstances.

What are the big exporters going to do? How or at what price, and time line can they ship?

[biglentil]

It's not in the bin! Lentils are very difficult to estimate yield. No disrespect Klause, not many flowers, lots of green growth.

We have another 4 or 5 weeks till harvest starts, and it isn't drying down very fast today. Today one of the hottest, high humidity days I can remember for a long time. We aren't very close to the equator, or ocean.

Way more yield and quality risk, than most understand. It doesn't really matter what or who sees the satellite pics, they have to make a decision, buy - hold or sell. Farmers with feet on the ground, crop experience, market intelligence also have to make decisions, sell -hold- but out, just two ends of the spectrum. Many farmers have a network of friends, Twitter or other wise which is also effective.

Should farmers try and buy out the contracts, or resell them? There is no effective hedge mechanism for farmers under these circumstances.

What are the big exporters going to do? How or at what price, and time line can they ship?

Last year the lentils seeded may 1 saw their 1st rain june 15th, and a total of 3.5 inches by harvest they ran 40. This year we are at 12 inches of rain. Without stress they will be a mess.

[hobbyfrmr]

Heavy soils do not stress lentils. They stay happy and continue with vegetative growth. That is no secret. We had progressive farmers in this area plant lentils in 1984 only to bale them for cattle feed. Fast forward to 2012 a large farm tried lentils again, way too much rain, i believe they harvested enough to recover seed and the remaining acres were introduced to the joker tillage tool.
The reports suggest lentils planted in Melville, Melfort, Meadow Lake. I never looked at the SCIC "what if"'s but the coverage must be exceptional if a farmer in non lentil growing regions plants lentils knowing there are very low odds of harvesting anything worthwhile.
That being said, the farmers I know are highly educated. Is there something a person can spray (no sarcasm this time) to induce a stress in order to encourage pod setting?

[bucket]

Hobby

Some have tried a light dose of 24d to stress them.

Have never heard if it works.

[ado089]

Make them listen to a trudeau speech. I know that stresses me.

[bucket]

Ado89

Is it his near hyperventilating that annoys the shit out of you?

[riders2010]

So what is the coverage in crap insurance for lentils?

Price and pounds per acre?

[sumdumguy]

Hobby, I was asking the same question today. Its hard to be patient when the grim reaper is knocking at the door, but we have tried a lot of things but there is nothing better than a hot dry wind to speed them up. I will trade you 1/2 inch every night for 6 weeks of hot and dry.

[hobbyfrmr]

I was just thinking like hydroponic growth. Plant date , Feed them right, keep them clean and disease free. Then find the right date to spray a stressor to induce flowering and pod set.

[BreadWinner]

I stopped and checked out one of my neighbours many lentil fields 3000ac of them. Its going to be a big dissapointment for many. Lots of plant but no pods just a few flowers. I sure hope he has crop insurance because its going to be a big fat 0 out in allot of these fields. Our area hasnt even had allot of rain. East central sask.

[Rareearth]

Well that's probably a good thread its self, for discussion purposes and simplicity, how many flowers or pods should a lentil plant have?

- in a perfect world, based on 1 acre
- seed at 1 bu per acre
- assume each flower make 1 pod
- assume 1 seeds per pod ( average per plant, some pods have 2 smaller seeds)
- 10% flower loss or bad pollination, ( heat, wind, rain, hail, etc)
-assume 5% loos plant stand, salinity, root rots, bad germination, flood, tractor tracks, etc
- assume 1% loss to insects, wireorms, cutworms, aphids, grasshoppers, berthas

- assume again 25 flowers per plant, and each flower hamlets 1 pod and has 1 seed
- that's 25 x 1 bu acre = 25 bu acre
- 25 bu acre of perfect crop minus 16%(4 bu acre) = 21 bushels per acre

21 bu x60 lbs bu =1260 lbs acre