Assessing 2016

[bigzee]

This year was my 30th crop I seeded and harvested, and it will be another one of those "never" forget years. The old saying "seed into dust and the bins will bust" held so true this year.
Started seeding Apri 28 into not the best of conditions, 11 days later came a 3" rain. It was drier than I thought as there was no water laying.
Finished seeding May 22 with the wipers going full bore as I made the last past. I LOL when I thought to myself not being able to see the tank from dust when we started to a downpour when we finished.
As for most the rains kept coming all summer, the big crop was coming, Flaman kept advertising hurry and book your bins. We were all thinking it's going to be bigger than 2013, then....... reality was setting in this crop was in huge jeopardy.
We all sprayed and sprayed, and sprayed, spent millions to protect our livelihood, and in some cases was all for not.
Harvest well we all know how that went. We all had more days off than days in the field.
Farming has become beyond a risky business. Challanges hit us everyday!! But we are fighters we will persevere.
With 17 around the corner, and spring a few months away, planning next years crop is on our minds.
For all the AVers Happy New Year and all the best in 2017.

[farmaholic]

The 2016 crop will undoubtedly go down in history(up to now) as being our biggest ever. For the slum of the Ghetto... quantity was good, quality was good(except for durum issues). As I've said before, if our anomaly is other people's norm... no wonder land prices are what they are in some areas.

And yes Bigzee... farming is a tough gig with huge risk...who in their right mind?

[Hopalong]

Most crops in our area met or exceeded Sask crop planning guide projections, both yield and ability to price at profitable levels. Canola, malt and pulses had prospect of higher profit levels with corn, soy and faba beans toward lower end.
Major difference for 2017 could be lower nitrogen fertilizer and higher fuel costs.p

[AlbertaFarmer5]

A Year of extremes, and I think mother nature was enacting revenge on me, everytime I was prepared to forgive her, she would offer another dose.

Early spring, scary dry, pastures were non existent, alfalfa wouldn't even grow. Which did make seeding an easy job for a change. Lots of seeding happened in April, which is unheard of here. Didn't start raining until July, which incidentally happens to be haying season. Rained or snowed basically everyday until Freeze Up. A couple dry days in September. A few Chinook days in November, but even they were interrupted by precipitation every couple days. Then snow, and everytime the snow almost melted enough to go, snowed again. Forgot to mention two hailstorms, which conveniently only damaged my crops and ended before going any further.

Everytime hay was remotely dry, or crop would pass through a combine, it would rain or snow or hail.

End result, in spite of it all, grain yields were best ever, but everything was tough, damp or wet. Still 15% of acres out, cows are harvesting the worst hailed barley. Hay yield was poor and is mostly crap, pastures eventually came back to life. Very hard on equipment, and fuel bill, everything took multiple times longer than it should.

[fjlip]

Just too much RAIN, crops only average, and wetter the further north you go from here.
2017 will be a lower cost to grow, unless fuel takes the savings. Very little fall tillage, will make for a busier spring, hopefully HOT and DRY early, like all of April. Ditches/culverts froze with water in them, not good.
Tracks and ruts, compaction for sure. Need that "climate to change" faster.
Happy 2017!

[fjlip]

Okay, new post then...