Friday Crop Report on a Thursday!

[shtferbrains]

We went on a bit of a road trip also this weekend.
Starting north of Tisdale through Saskatoon and then west as far as Meota. Then angled south west all the way to Calgary.
Small pockets of the best canola looked like it might make 30 and that was around Meota and southwest of Battleford towards Unity. Huge areas with canola that is blasted in both Saskatchewan and Alberta might range from 0-15 with some of the worst in the Saskatoon area. No pastures looked decent and really no green grass anywhere.

One thing that did stand out on this trip is how clean and neat all the fields looked. I hardly saw any wild oats or thistle in any fields anywhere. A little kochia around Saskatoon in the worst drought areas.
Fertility looked really good in all areas also. The crop is short from lack of rain but nothing looked deficient from lack of fertilizer.
From what I saw farmers did an excellent job on a very difficult year.

What do you think of the Alfalfa/leafcutters for this year?
Alfalfa fields look blue and rumored $70 gal for bees.
Bees like the heat?

[GDR]

What do you think of the Alfalfa/leafcutters for this year?
Alfalfa fields look blue and rumored $70 gal for bees.
Bees like the heat?

Would it not be better to make hay than go for seed production on a year like this?

[shtferbrains]

Seed alfalfa can be a windfall if everything lines up and the bugs don't steal it.

[seldomseen]

What do you think of the Alfalfa/leafcutters for this year?
Alfalfa fields look blue and rumored $70 gal for bees.
Bees like the heat?

Everything looked really good this year for a big seed crop but plant bugs and lygus bugs are taking the shine off. Some fields I have sprayed 3 times and the bugs are still going strong!

[TOM4CWB]

Very very accurate 👍

What is so striking Furrowtickler is;

Ag Canada must have, or should have known that their estimated Canola production # of 19mmt …

When was (what date) was this Canola yield supposed to have been calculated?

Cheers

[Herc]

Two more weeks of heat and no rain, not even the Lexicons will save the pepper....

[the big wheel]

We went on a bit of a road trip also this weekend.
Starting north of Tisdale through Saskatoon and then west as far as Meota. Then angled south west all the way to Calgary.
Small pockets of the best canola looked like it might make 30 and that was around Meota and southwest of Battleford towards Unity. Huge areas with canola that is blasted in both Saskatchewan and Alberta might range from 0-15 with some of the worst in the Saskatoon area. No pastures looked decent and really no green grass anywhere.

One thing that did stand out on this trip is how clean and neat all the fields looked. I hardly saw any wild oats or thistle in any fields anywhere. A little kochia around Saskatoon in the worst drought areas.
Fertility looked really good in all areas also. The crop is short from lack of rain but nothing looked deficient from lack of fertilizer.
From what I saw farmers did an excellent job on a very difficult year.

Nutrien and farm credit will have the courts and lawyers
Working overtime getting all that equity into cash.

[Guest]

Would it not be better to make hay than go for seed production on a year like this?

Lots here will make 1500-2000$ seed production
Plus maybe $200 bee sales if prices hold
Never saw anything like it

[TOM4CWB]

Lots here will make 1500-2000$ seed production
Plus maybe $200 bee sales if prices hold
Never saw anything like it

I understand DDGs can be bought at $325/t from ADM. 40% px and same energy as barley. Then the cattle can scrounge for slough grass and straw… with 8lb/day for maintenance.
Cheers

[GDR]

Lots here will make 1500-2000$ seed production
Plus maybe $200 bee sales if prices hold
Never saw anything like it

What is the market for bees after you are done with them? Or do you have to winter them for next year? Do they just pollinate or do something else to the plant? We have a dozen honeybee hives but dont know anything about leaf cutters.

[seldomseen]

What is the market for bees after you are done with them? Or do you have to winter them for next year? Do they just pollinate or do something else to the plant? We have a dozen honeybee hives but dont know anything about leaf cutters.

Cutter bees work hard all summer pollinating alfalfa and packing leaf into tunnels and leaving an egg for next year. Once they run out of steam they die. We pick up the nesting blocks and bring them in for the winter. The egg changes to a larva and spins a cocoon where it spends the winter.
Most years you can get back double the bees you put out and you can sell those extra bees.
Bee prices can range from almost nothing up to $130.00 a gallon depending on demand.
10,000 bees is a gallon.

[Guest]

Pollinators only
They live for 6 weeks
Then we harvest their cocoons , incubate them about June 8th
Put bees out july 1st , usually double bees , maybe 4 x this year?
Extra cocoons get sold to the US , anywhere from SFA to $125 per gallon (10000) bees , in my time

[helmsdale]

Today July 23 is the day I give up on crop 2021. Off to Manitoba for a week. Don’t care anymore. No rain will bring this ****er back from the dead. First time fu ked since 1961.

You made it 22 days longer than I did. Most years I'm cruising backroads all of july crop scouting... It's easier to drink beer inside the shelter-belt this year.

[furrowtickler]

We went on a bit of a road trip also this weekend.
Starting north of Tisdale through Saskatoon and then west as far as Meota. Then angled south west all the way to Calgary.
Small pockets of the best canola looked like it might make 30 and that was around Meota and southwest of Battleford towards Unity. Huge areas with canola that is blasted in both Saskatchewan and Alberta might range from 0-15 with some of the worst in the Saskatoon area. No pastures looked decent and really no green grass anywhere.

One thing that did stand out on this trip is how clean and neat all the fields looked. I hardly saw any wild oats or thistle in any fields anywhere. A little kochia around Saskatoon in the worst drought areas.
Fertility looked really good in all areas also. The crop is short from lack of rain but nothing looked deficient from lack of fertilizer.
From what I saw farmers did an excellent job on a very difficult year.

Unfortunately some crops just south of Meota and NE got beat up bad in that storm on Thursday
Some will be 100% damage .
Wheat crop just south of Cochin completely mowed down .
Damage in a large swath from SW of Delmas all the way to spiritwood.
On way to Red Deer tonight
Can sure see where that one big rain did go in early June . SW of Battleford had 2.5 in plus in areas , we had 1.5 or so and east of Battleford had .5 or less
Shows up huge now .
Macklin to Provost is in tough shape

Oh and 90% fields have excellent weed control

[seldomseen]

Unfortunately some crops just south of Meota and NE got beat up bad in that storm on Thursday
Some will be 100% damage .
Wheat crop just south of Cochin completely mowed down .
Damage in a large swath from SW of Delmas all the way to spiritwood.
On way to Red Deer tonight
Can sure see where that one big rain did go in early June . SW of Battleford had 2.5 in plus in areas , we had 1.5 or so and east of Battleford had .5 or less
Shows up huge now .
Macklin to Provost is in tough shape

Oh and 90% fields have excellent weed control

Really not sure where Chuck found weed infested fields because I sure didn’t see any 🤷