LAKELAND – The growing season in the Lakeland region is off to a promising start, according to recent updates from the Lakeland Agricultural Research Association (LARA).
Lance Ouellette is a research agrologist at LARA. He said the season began with favourable conditions from late April to mid-May allowing for early seeding.
However, from mid-May to late June, the Lakeland region experienced a period of heavy rain and cooler, windy weather. This made seeding difficult, but not impossible.
But improved weather conditions since late June have helped crops recover. Although, the ongoing heat wave is a concern for some crops that did not get as much moisture last month. “So, that’s a bit of a concern,” he said, explaining that crops in areas with sufficient moisture in June are tolerating the heat better than those that did not.
Overall, early seeded crops are thriving, while those seeded later are starting to bounce back.
Ouellete said that timely rains are important for the continued success through the growing season. Consistent precipitation in the coming weeks will be crucial to sustain crop health and yields, he said. Ouellette expressed hope for stable weather patterns to avoid extremes that could stress the crops. For example, with the heat, “Anything above 30 [degrees Celsius],” is not ideal.
“For corn, it’s not a problem,” he said. But for crops like canola, wheat, barley, and peas, which are the bigger crops in the Lakeland, extreme weather conditions are not ideal.
Pests
The region also did not face significant issues with pests, according to Ouellette. “[Pests] are very cyclical. One year, you’ll get them, and in the next year, you won’t.” For example, “There’s no grasshoppers this year, which is very good,” he said.
In the County of St. Paul, Coun. Darrell Younghans, who is also the chairman of the County’s Agricultural Services Board, shared similar observations.
“As far as insect pests, I haven’t heard of too many,” said Younghans. “The biggest pests that I’m hearing about are probably gophers. I’ve had many people tell me that they’ve seen more gophers this year than ever before.”
Hay and cattle
Forage crops like hay are currently performing well, with farmers beginning to cut and bale early last week. “They’re getting really nice yields,” Ouellette said, which is also thanks to the moisture received in June.
He explained that because hay is a perennial crop, it needs to receive good moisture in May or June, “which is what we got.”
The cattle sector is also faring well, with high prices, decent pastures and good hay yields contributing to positive conditions for ranchers.
Younghans affirmed "cattle prices are holding well,” he said. Producers are hoping that the price will remain consistent into the fall and into the spring, when most ranches often start marketing.
Rest of the season
Overall, Younghans said the St. Paul county growing season so far is good to excellent.
As harvest season approaches, Ouellette expects producers to begin making silage in early August.
Harvest typically begins mid-September until early October. “Most guys try not to [harvest] past Thanksgiving,” he said. “But sometimes they do, depending on the weather.”
Ouellette says consistent weather conditions in the coming weeks is pivotal in determining the final outcome of the farming season. Even with a good start in the growing season, Ouellette said a dry August would make things more challenging for producers.
“You still need a lot of moisture in August... to actually get your yields up. With consistent precipitation events and nothing too extreme, I think the crops will do well,” added Ouellette.
“There’s an old saying... if it starts out good, it usually stays good.”
Programs for producers
Ouellette also would like to remind producers that there are different government programs available for them, such as grants to help them with either water, perennial seed, or fencing.
“There’s a lot of money out there... available to them,” he said.
For more information on grants and other resources available, Ouellete encourages producers to reach out to him at: [email protected]
They can also call LARA’s office at: 780-826-7260
