Corn harvest is nearing completion in the province with good looking yields. Morgan Cott, field agronomist for the Manitoba Corn Growers Association, says she doesn't have specific numbers on yield yet, but estimates higher yields than last year, and comparable to that of 2012.
She says this is partly because the season got started earlier this year, but is also likely to do with the summer weather, including hazy conditions.
"It didn't feel like it (summer weather) was a great as we thought it was, but that haze and smoke that was bothering us so much in July, or whenever that was, did good. They said it acted like a greenhouse effect by keeping everything warm, and all the carbon in the air was really beneficial for the crop," she says.
"The weather seemed to work out perfectly. I don't know if we'd want a replicate of it every year, but it worked out good because the overnights weren't as cold as maybe they normally would be, or the fluctuation in day and nighttime temperatures wasn't so great, so that would keep us on an even keel."
Source : PortageOnline