Something To Ponder – Crops And More Crops

Something To Ponder – Crops And More Crops
By Harry Siemens,www.SiemensSays.com

Siemens Says – “I am a fourth generation farmer. I farm with my parents at Rivers, MB. We grow wheat, canola, hemp, Faba Beans, flax, and some pulses,” says Roger Lepp. “We operate as Riverdale Grain Farms. I am married and have 3 kids. I enjoy farming and all the challenges with it. But this year looks good. Had three tenths of an inch of rain over weekend. If we could get a bit more it would be nice. But crops do look good, just need bit more rain.

” I love those responses when I send out a request for interviews or specific questions, often relating to weather, crops, marketing, transportation, and any other thing that comes to my mind.

While the farming community continues to shrink, at least the number of farmers, the rural community does not. As one person once told me, the farm sizes may shrink, but the number of people working on those farms, retailers, and farm products, data, and consulting really doesn’t.

Several aspects to that response encourage me. First, Roger is a fourth generation farmer. I’ not sure how old he is, but he farms with his parents, maybe even a bit with his grandfather, and who knows, his great grandfather was around a little bit to see and enjoy the fruits of his labour. I’m sure many of you can identify with this, at least in memory, if not in reality today.

Secondly, to farm with his parents is one thing, Roger and his wife have three children, and just maybe one of them takes it to the fifth generation farm.

So often, when I make contact for the first time with someone I’ve not known before, I hear and see the same story written over and over again, the father and son scenario, producing the food that feeds you and me, and the world.

The third thing that I see here is the fact they grow six different crops, wheat, canola, hemp, Faba Beans, flax, and some pulses making for good rotation practices, and people who not only feed us, but look after the land and soil, too.

This column first started as another crop report, or at least an update because I made several new contacts by asking how much rain, and how are the crops on Twitter.

Ron Krahn, also at Rivers say it is quite dry.

“Heavy land crop hanging in there. Lighter soils going backwards in a hurry. Got 1/2″ last nite [Sunday]. Very thankful for that.

” Then over to Wawanesa where Simon Ellis ‏@FarmLifeMB told me Saturday, “We haven’t had rain since about June 10th. Crops on lighter soils are starting to show drought symptoms. Rain now would [still] save us."

“Then on Sunday, July 12, 20mm of rain has saved our crop. Came with pea sized hail with minimum damage,” says Ellis.

Then a young man in church Sunday morning, who lives with his wife in Walhalla, he’s originally from Indiana and his wife from near Saskatoon, SK agreed with me, the crops in the Pembina Valley, extending through the Red River Valley in part are most likely the best in the entire world. He drove down to Indiana, and says soybeans here looked abotu ten times better than anything he saw on his way down. Not to mention the sunflowers that look better too, than for many a year.

A different story into Saskatchewan and beyond. This young man’s parents farm west of Saskatoon and before the weekend, crop extremely dry, and in many cases beyond help, should a rain come.

The same scenario exists in many parts of that province and in Alberta. Yes, there are good areas, but less than an inch of rain, all spring doesn’t make a very good crop.

The markets are showing the concern too, and it will be interesting how all of this plays out come fall.

J.P. Gervais, chief economist, Farm Credit Canada tells me that farmers across western Canada are pretty solid financially, and think most, if not all can weather a year of low crops, especially if they have the crop insurance, and other programs in place to help them through just such a year.

However, I always maintain, a farmer who only breaks even, or losing some money, goes a year without an income. How many people still working, with growing children, and the normal life style can afford to go without an income for a whole year? Something to ponder.

Source: SiemensSays