Corn Growers Looking To Rebound After Difficult 2019

The Manitoba Corn Growers Association (MCGA) gathered in Winnipeg earlier this month at CropConnect for the group's Annual General Meeting.

 

President Dennis Thiessen says last year was one of the toughest years in recent memory.

 

"In my 20 years of growing corn, I've never seen anything so difficult," he commented. "Probably the most challenging I saw was the guys trying to take corn silage off. They already had suffered from short alfalfa crops and the damage that was done to the fields was astronomical, really. We'll see some of that affected in the next crops from those fields."

 

He commented further on the 2020 season.

 

"We have a lot of crop residue out there. It will take a little while to dry the fields and to get on there and plant other crops. It will be a challenging spring for farmers, whether it's corn or any other crop. Weather will dictate our success in 2020 but we're always optimistic that things will work out. I remember 2016 was very wet, yet 2017 was a very nice spring and we got everything planted and the crops did well in 2017. We remain hopeful."

Video: Spring Planting Prep Just Got Serious… We NEED This!

Getting closer to planting season means one thing… it’s time to get EVERYTHING ready.

Today didn’t go exactly as planned—we thought we’d be hauling potatoes again, but instead we spent the day digging equipment out of the cellar, hooking up the grain drill, and getting tractors ready to roll. With wheat planting just around the corner, every piece of equipment matters.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a normal day without a few problems… dead batteries, hydraulic issues, and a truck tire that absolutely refused to cooperate. We tried everything—jump packs, bead bazooka, ratchet straps… and eventually had to bring out the “big guns” just to get things moving again.

But that’s farm life—adapt, fix, and keep moving forward.

We’re getting close to go-time. Wheat seed is coming soon, and planting season is right around the corner