For most farmers, 1999 will likely be remembered as the year of high yields. The combination of cool air temperatures, adequate to excess moisture, and an open fall, combined to provide the conditions necessary for the formation of high yields. Depending on the crop, yield estimates are 8-13% above average in many areas. At the time I am preparing this (December 1st), Saskatchewan Agriculture is predicting 27.8 million tonnes of the major grains, oilseeds and pulse crops, 16% above the most recent 10-year average. Unfortunately for many, the year of yields was not the year for quality, with an abundance of ergot in the cereals, and low quality hay crops weathered in the field.
The largest challenge during the 1999 growing season was associated with delayed seeding due to excessive moisture in May. Rain delays meant that only 68% of the crop was seeded by the end of May, with in excess of 1.5 million acres never being seeded due to excessive moisture. There have been some reports of excessive water hampering timely seeding for no-till producers, with soil type (heavy clay and silty clay) being the factors most commonly cited for this delay. While the benefits of improved water infiltration with no-till were observed by most using direct seeding, the continued rainfall in many areas resulted in saturated soils that started to show water accumulation in low lying regions of most fields. These seeding delays, combined with the cool air temperatures in June and July, had most crops between one and four weeks behind long-term average development during the summer. There is little doubt that if we had experienced average, or above average, air temperatures during the months of July and August there would have been a negative yield effect on these late maturing crops in many regions of the province.
The wet soil conditions encountered this spring likely provided the farmer using a one-pass seed and fertilizer application system with an advantage over fall fertilization. Saturated soil conditions are the place where we see N losses in the spring of the year. Warm soil temperatures, combined with excessive water, are conducive to N losses by denitrification. The application of N at seeding minimizes the potential for N losses, and helps to improve N available for the formation of grain yield and quality (protein).
The cool and wet growing conditions of 1999 also fostered the development and spread of a number of plant diseases. Sclerotinia in canola, leaf diseases and ergot in cereals, ascochyta on chickpeas and lentils, and mycosphaerella in peas were all wide spread in 1999. A number of our research trials indicate that large yield losses were protected with fungicide application. As always, the ability to predict the impact of disease on crop yield and quality remains a challenge, and will continue to be a focus of further research. While all producers are anxious to protect crop yields with pesticide inputs, our current economic reality requires that we have a high probability of success in achieving a return on investment.
If you felt that you had mastered the art of spot spraying for weeds, 1999 was likely a difficult year for your field appearance. With the abundant precipitation, we saw many weeds normally suppressed by actively growing crops continuing to grow after herbicide application. In many areas of the province the surface of the field was wet from seeding through to head emergence, providing sufficient moisture for repeated flushes of weeds to establish and grow in the crop canopy. While many of these late emerging weeds likely had little effect on final grain yield, they will have some impact on the level of dockage. Early removal of weed infestations remains the priority of efficient farm managers, with one accepting that early yield protection will have to take precedent over some late emerging weeds contributing to dockage of the harvested grain.
By harvest many areas in western Saskatchewan have low levels of stubble soil moisture. The absence of fall rain in most areas was welcome with the late harvest, however, increases our dependence on over-winter and spring precipitation. Warm conditions throughout the fall appears to have introduced some challenges for those farmers using dormant seeding to produce canola. Reports of germinated seed will require that some of these fields be carefully evaluated in the spring to ensure that adequate crop establishment is achieved. I am excited and optimistic that the development of dormant and early spring seeding of canola will provide farmers in the Brown and dry Dark Brown soil zones of Saskatchewan with a viable alternative cropping option. The work by Ken Kirkland and Eric Johnson at the Scott Experimental Farm has established the necessary ground work for the successful movement of this major oilseed crop into semi-arid regions.
At a no-till farmers meeting in Vermilion, AB this fall I was surprised at the level of optimism expressed by most of the farmers in attendance. While all were concerned about the recent down turn in crop prices, the focus appeared to be on managing costs and inputs to optimize crop yields and potential income. In a business where we are affected by world price and support programs that are out of our control, managing costs and optimizing yield are two factors we can influence. Now is the time to ensure that we understand those management and input variables that are critical to achieving maximum economic yield, and to focus our attention on fine tuning our production systems.
Best of luck to all no-till farmers as they prepare for the 2000 crop year. Remember, with the adoption of no-till on your farm you are part of the most sustainable agriculture movement in the world. No-till seeding systems have removed erosion as a production limitation on most farms where it is practiced. In addition, it is providing improved surface soil moisture for crop establishment, reducing the need for summer fallow in dry regions, and increasing the cropping options with extended rotations. In addition, we continue to see large farmers moving to no-till as a means of managing their capital and labor requirements on large acreages. The efficiency we have come to expect from no-till production systems will also help us as we move toward what appears to be a trend to higher energy prices.