"You think this is dry, I tell you back in '98 it was a summer of not one but two severe moisture deficits ("droughts" in layman's terms) in west and northwestern Saskatchewan. Why, it was drier than a popcorn fart. Even the grasshoppers were going to McDonald's!"
In twenty or thirty years I am sure that there will be a number of us old farts ( oh, I mean farmers) who will be reminiscing about the good old days (when only 25% of the farms were direct seeding for instance).
Well for those of you who never stray further than 30 miles from home and who never listen to the radio, watch TV, or read the newspaper, let me be the first to inform you that the northwest this year was a little dry, period. In the most northwesterly areas of our good province, many producers were looking for their first inch of summer rainfall (that's total rainfall) as late as June 26. It made for a dry spring to say the least. Pasture was at a premium (total herd disperses in some cases), crop emergence was patchy, and producers' nerves were frazzled.
But as always a rain improved not only spirits but transpired into some surprising yields (for some crops). Canola and peas showed amazing resilience while sitting relatively idle (so to speak) until it rained and then making the most of that moisture and turning it into yield. Most of these crops were not tall. In many fields canola that was cut leaving only 4 inches of stubble did not catch the bottom pods. But what were there were pods and more pods. Thirty to forty bushel pea crops, and twenty to twenty five bushel canola crops were not uncommon (thirty-five to forty-five bushel canola on summerfallow was noted by a number of producers). But not all producers were so lucky. Many particularly low yields were realized in the most westerly part of the region. The key to any success this year (well, most year's) was getting the crop out of the ground. Emergence meant everything.
As for the cereals, life was not good. If they did emerge, most were headed long before the rain fell. This resulted in second growth after the rain, and crop #2 had difficulty filling because of midge and the second drought of the summer. Bushel weights have been low and total volume harvested in many instances even lower. But present grain prices make it an easier pill to swallow - yea right!!
Many producers say it was one of the most challenging years in their farming careers. Dry at seeding, poor emergence, the re-seed decision, flea beetles, early June frost (as low as -8o C was reported), dry at spraying, the spray or-not-to spray decision, grasshoppers, midge, lygus bugs, second growth, short crops, pasture problems, finding enough feed and straw, combine fires while harvesting peas and for many the list goes on. As one farmer told me "we might as well laugh as cry".
If nothing else, 1998 has shown that by having a diverse rotation, some success can be realized even in years such as this. Other than that, this year proves that farming is definitely not for the faint of heart!