Highlights Of Farming in 18

[bigzee]

Watching the sports highlights of the year thought we should look at farming highlights.
I don’t keep a daily/monthly journal of activities but sure wish I did, maybe that’s my New Years resolution.
Headed into 18 very, very dry, next to know snow till mid Mar, first part of April. Was heavy and wet which gave us a decent start to seeding, but basically no sub soil. Crops came up nice and even, nice rains totalling 6.5 inches till July 9 then the well went dry.
Who could forget those 4 days of 40 plus temps? Never seen something in my life like that before.
Yields were dropping by the minute!
There wasn’t enough stress then who thought we would have harvest end on Sep 9-10?
Heat and lack of moisture took yield, now downgrading was going to further make things more difficult. So we all sat for 5- wks of more, and watched our livelihood go to the shits.
Some had severe frost then snow then more rain, seemed like a nite mare.
Then we got the weather we should have had in Sept in Oct to get what was left out. For the most part everyone finished.
Now we are dealing with prices which are well we all know. Poor yields and poor prices make it difficult to plan for 19.
Fert prices have gone stupid for absolutely no reason. Retailers tell me they have only sold 20% of normal, but they won’t drop prices to make a sale. Well take my lowballed offer or I will go else where. Inputs look to be at record levels going into 19.
Land prices and cash rents seem to be continuing to rise with no end in sight.
Personally I’m gong to start enjoying what I’ve worked for. Hope to spend more time at the lake, and do more golfing. Quit working so hard for all the chem and machinery companies.
As the year comes to an end we all have so much to be thankful for. Family and health are way important than $6 durum, etc.
We concentrate .... me included on everything else but at the end of the day those things don’t really matter.
Happy New everyone.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

The biggest highlight of 2018 here, is that it is almost over...
We had half as much rain as bigzee. But on a positive note, we never had excess moisture enough to do any harm, and had zero hail until September, and even then damage was minor, so escaped our two biggest enemies.

[jazz]

The weather is the weather. Cant do much about it and sometimes its a real bitch too.

But I worry more about these markets. Canada has to make some tough decisions on China and they are a major buyer. Lentils are another concern as is our durum market. Other places eating our lunch in the HRS game. Leaving a lot less room for profit and a lot of uncertainty.

[Hopalong]

Second year in a row for our farm and area of east Sask for record grain production and good prices.
Likely too much to expect a third good one, still recovering from wet decade, lower ground producing again.
Trans Pacific agreement and exchange rate for dollar could affect grain prices along with weather , disease,etc, but think glass is still half full for 2019.

[grassfarmer]

The highlight for me will come on Monday night when we get to close the door on it. Worst year of a 37 year career in this business. Devastating June hail storm and a drought that lasted the entire growing season. Like a lot of other cattlemen we aren't out of the woods yet - hard to see where the feed will come from, at any price, to finish this winter and get to grass again assuming we get sufficient moisture to produce a better growing year.
Ranchers are resilient though - no yellow vests or protesting for them, they largely just suck it up even if it means they have to take a town job, as well as their wives, to keep food on the table.

[bucket]

The highlight for me will come on Monday night when we get to close the door on it. Worst year of a 37 year career in this business. Devastating June hail storm and a drought that lasted the entire growing season. Like a lot of other cattlemen we aren't out of the woods yet - hard to see where the feed will come from, at any price, to finish this winter and get to grass again assuming we get sufficient moisture to produce a better growing year.
Ranchers are resilient though - no yellow vests or protesting for them, they largely just suck it up even if it means they have to take a town job, as well as their wives, to keep food on the table.

Ranchers should be wearing yellow vests ....why....because all their land is a carbon sink and they are not being paid for their efforts....meanwhile big emitters get government subsidies or exemptions.

[SASKFARMER3]

Best year ever! Ok top 10

[furrowtickler]

Hopalong ! If you had record production in 2018 you must of been producing nothing in past years !

Areas west of here had their biggest crops ever ... after 3 already very big years.
Certain areas caught one rain after the other , add decent heat units a bit of extra free carbon (smoke) and wollah... big crops if they matured on time .
If you were out side all those rains , yup it was not so good .

[furrowtickler]

Our highlight of the year was trying a field of these little guys ....

[Hamloc]

April, first 2 weeks very cold, I thought seeding would be delayed.
Warmed up fast and was actually done seeding in good time.
Rain varied from under 3 inches to just over 5.
Hay crops yielded from 1/3 of a bale per acre to a high of 1.
Peas, barley and HRS wheat done before weather went for shit.
Very cold shitty snowy Sept. and early October.
Started feeding cows about Oct. 10.
Flat wheat was miserable to combine after snow, straight cutting Canola not so bad.
Yields on peas best to date, barley average low 70's, CPS wheat average mid 70's.
Hard red mid 60's and Canola low 40's, less than 2% green.
Overall felt very fortunate to get it all in the bin.
Also happy I bought fertilizer end of August, really is rediculous that you have to buy an input 9 months before you use it and potentially almost 2 years before you sell the crop that grew from it to save a few dollars.
For 2019 hoping for better rainfall!

[furrowtickler]

April, first 2 weeks very cold, I thought seeding would be delayed.
Warmed up fast and was actually done seeding in good time.
Rain varied from under 3 inches to just over 5.
Hay crops yielded from 1/3 of a bale per acre to a high of 1.
Peas, barley and HRS wheat done before weather went for shit.
Very cold shitty snowy Sept. and early October.
Started feeding cows about Oct. 10.
Flat wheat was miserable to combine after snow, straight cutting Canola not so bad.
Yields on peas best to date, barley average low 70's, CPS wheat average mid 70's.
Hard red mid 60's and Canola low 40's, less than 2% green.
Overall felt very fortunate to get it all in the bin.
Also happy I bought fertilizer end of August, really is rediculous that you have to buy an input 9 months before you use it and potentially almost 2 years before you sell the crop that grew from it to save a few dollars.
For 2019 hoping for better rainfall!

I would think I could just cut a paste your post for most of this area ..
And absolutely agree with the last paragraph on buying inputs ... it’s almost disturbing how much the pre buy input has been pushed so early .

[farmaholic]

Nothing good ever happens in the Slum of the Ghetto!

[bigzee]

Best year ever! Ok top 10

Top 2 for sure

[furrowtickler]

Nothing good ever happens in the Slum of the Ghetto!

Lol , is that Tom ?????

[farmaholic]

No that would be something about the Garden of Eden.

That is just creepy....even for me!