As farmers rush to get their crops off the field before the cold weather sets in, there is optimism that this will be a good year for producers.
Louis Courcelles with Dale Air Services near Morris says overall, everything looks favourable for farmers.
"The prices are good, the crop is good, but the inputs have never been higher,” he notes.
With a greater risk, Courcelles is hoping this will translate into a greater reward for farmers.
Courcelles reflects on the hot, dry conditions last year, and then a lot of rain this year.
"Last year, we had a lot of moisture in the soil from the year before, so it still grew a decent crop. And this year, we were so dry from last year, that all that water, the soil seemed to take up a lot of that water as well. It kind of insulated the growers a lot. Overall, it’s surprising how good the crop is, considering the challenges we’ve seen.”
Courcelles says there is a sense of urgency right now to get the crops off into the bin before the weather puts a stop to harvest season. The forecast is for rain during the last half of this week before we return to sunshine.
"It doesn’t matter what the crop is worth and how big it is, if you can’t get it in the bin,” he says. “If, through some bad luck, bad weather, the crop ends up staying out there, you always lose an awful lot. So, yeah, there’s definitely an urgency.”
Courcelles says soybeans and corn will not be affected as much by colder weather. Overnight temperatures are expected to remain in the double digits.
A busy harvest season also means we are seeing more farm equipment moving from one field to the next.
Courcelles urges motorists to be patient, respectful, and to keep safety in mind as we share the roads with our farmers.