I'm starting to feel as though I'm running out of options. I am retired from my career but I still operate a hobby farm. For me, our income does not rely on my farming. With that said, I have no idea what it must be like for my neighbors that are full-time farmers.
I live in central MN. This spring has been very unusual. It started in January when the average monthly temperature was 5° F. That's 10 degrees below the average January for the previous seven years. February too was below average at 7° F. March was close to normal but April and May have been consistently below normal. Our average high temperatures right now should be in the mid 70's F. but we've been lucky to get into the 60's. Yesterday, for example, we had a high temp of 56° F. and today's predicted high is 62° F.
We've also been wetter than normal. In April we received about double our average precipitation in this area. In May, we've seen some improvement on that front. With this much moisture and cold temperatures, the ground is saturated.
In a normal year, I expect (hope) to have my wheat sown in mid April. Wheat does not do as well in hot, dry weather so it is important to seed it early in the spring so it can fill out before the heat of July and August. According to the University of MN Extension website, the optimum time to sew wheat in my area is the 2nd week of April. For every day that planting is delayed past that time, we can expect a decreased yield of about 1% per day. We can also expect a low test weight and low protein as well. I am now 5 weeks beyond the 2nd week in April. This means that if I plant my wheat now, I can expect a decreased yield of about 35% or more and the quality will be lower than desired so that too will cut into my sell price. If quality gets too poor I may have trouble selling it at all.
Wheat is a highly scrutinized crop. It is checked for low test weight, high moisture, low protein, funguses, molds, various toxins, and for sprouted kernels. I have learned that fertilizer can be very helpful toward mitigating these kinds of problems.
This year when I pre-ordered my fertilizer I was hit with the realization that the price was 4x higher than it was for the same fertilizer last year. I couldn't see spending that much on fertilizer and hoping the price would remain high enough to cover that cost so I ordered 1/2 as much, which is still very expensive, hoping it will give my wheat a boost and maintain some of my product quality.
Fuel prices are more than double what they were last year so that too is adding to the challenge.
Today, finally, I am thinking of trying to cultivate my ground in preparation for drilling the seed later this afternoon. It's supposed to be mostly sunny today so I want to give my ground as much drying time as possible. The forecast calls for rain on Wednesday so my hope is to get my seed drilled tomorrow. I know it is still a bit wet and that means that some of the ground will get chunky (one of the problems with wet heavy clay) and that will result in a lower than desired seed germination. I will probably have to work around some of the wetter areas to avoid getting stuck so it could be a challenge.
My real question/concern is, is it to the point where I should just cut my losses and not plant the wheat? I know many farmers are starting to make that choice too. To do that, I'd have to invest in some materials to build a container to store my seed until next year, keeping it dry and protected from mice and that adds cost especially with the increased cost of materials now. Storing the seed will decrease its germination rate next year too (it'll be older) so I'll probably have to seed it more dense to make up for it, and that adds to my cost as well.
Hard to believe eight months ago we were in a serious drought situation. Of course, in that situation my heavy clay worked to my advantage for it holds moisture very well and although my soybeans were about a week from total loss, the Lord did provide timely rain in late August and my soybeans rebounded nicely. I guess, if I do plant my wheat now one hope is that our summer will remain a little on the cooler side and my wheat will be okay. The down side is that soybeans need summer heat so if it remains too cool, my soybeans could be hurt.
Ah, the joys of farming! I guess the adage is accurate. We farmers can always find something to complain about. Too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry, and let's not forget about the risk from hail and wind, equipment breakdowns, and with today's economic climate, price increases.
I live in central MN. This spring has been very unusual. It started in January when the average monthly temperature was 5° F. That's 10 degrees below the average January for the previous seven years. February too was below average at 7° F. March was close to normal but April and May have been consistently below normal. Our average high temperatures right now should be in the mid 70's F. but we've been lucky to get into the 60's. Yesterday, for example, we had a high temp of 56° F. and today's predicted high is 62° F.
We've also been wetter than normal. In April we received about double our average precipitation in this area. In May, we've seen some improvement on that front. With this much moisture and cold temperatures, the ground is saturated.
In a normal year, I expect (hope) to have my wheat sown in mid April. Wheat does not do as well in hot, dry weather so it is important to seed it early in the spring so it can fill out before the heat of July and August. According to the University of MN Extension website, the optimum time to sew wheat in my area is the 2nd week of April. For every day that planting is delayed past that time, we can expect a decreased yield of about 1% per day. We can also expect a low test weight and low protein as well. I am now 5 weeks beyond the 2nd week in April. This means that if I plant my wheat now, I can expect a decreased yield of about 35% or more and the quality will be lower than desired so that too will cut into my sell price. If quality gets too poor I may have trouble selling it at all.
Wheat is a highly scrutinized crop. It is checked for low test weight, high moisture, low protein, funguses, molds, various toxins, and for sprouted kernels. I have learned that fertilizer can be very helpful toward mitigating these kinds of problems.
This year when I pre-ordered my fertilizer I was hit with the realization that the price was 4x higher than it was for the same fertilizer last year. I couldn't see spending that much on fertilizer and hoping the price would remain high enough to cover that cost so I ordered 1/2 as much, which is still very expensive, hoping it will give my wheat a boost and maintain some of my product quality.
Fuel prices are more than double what they were last year so that too is adding to the challenge.
Today, finally, I am thinking of trying to cultivate my ground in preparation for drilling the seed later this afternoon. It's supposed to be mostly sunny today so I want to give my ground as much drying time as possible. The forecast calls for rain on Wednesday so my hope is to get my seed drilled tomorrow. I know it is still a bit wet and that means that some of the ground will get chunky (one of the problems with wet heavy clay) and that will result in a lower than desired seed germination. I will probably have to work around some of the wetter areas to avoid getting stuck so it could be a challenge.
My real question/concern is, is it to the point where I should just cut my losses and not plant the wheat? I know many farmers are starting to make that choice too. To do that, I'd have to invest in some materials to build a container to store my seed until next year, keeping it dry and protected from mice and that adds cost especially with the increased cost of materials now. Storing the seed will decrease its germination rate next year too (it'll be older) so I'll probably have to seed it more dense to make up for it, and that adds to my cost as well.
Hard to believe eight months ago we were in a serious drought situation. Of course, in that situation my heavy clay worked to my advantage for it holds moisture very well and although my soybeans were about a week from total loss, the Lord did provide timely rain in late August and my soybeans rebounded nicely. I guess, if I do plant my wheat now one hope is that our summer will remain a little on the cooler side and my wheat will be okay. The down side is that soybeans need summer heat so if it remains too cool, my soybeans could be hurt.
Ah, the joys of farming! I guess the adage is accurate. We farmers can always find something to complain about. Too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry, and let's not forget about the risk from hail and wind, equipment breakdowns, and with today's economic climate, price increases.
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Went fishing this morning. Got about 1/2" of rain overnight so I figured I might as well spend the day at the lake. We're finally getting some warm weather yesterday and today. It was 77 yesterday and 79 today and sunny so far. The forecast, however, is saying we'll be back into the 60's after this weekend of near 80s and rain. Can't do anything about it so make lemonade I guess.
