Asking a grower how harvest is going can be a tricky question for an adviser. This is because you feel partly responsible if yield expectations aren’t met, having advised the farmer during the season. Thankfully the overall feeling from growers here in Ontario is of relief, as there wasn’t a lot expected from harvest 2016.

It’s the same back home; you never promise a grower 5t/ac of wheat because many factors remain outside of our control. I always say to manage the crop to its potential, spend the money where you get the best payback and hope all other factors co-operate. As farmers, we can only manage what is in our control and, as we all know, the weather is not.

Weather woes

Like many growers in the south, west and northwest of Ireland, Canadian growers will remember the growing season and harvest of 2016.

In the latter case, it is about the impact that weather can have on final yield and harvest issues for both positive and negative reasons.

As I said previously, western Canada and Ontario are so different in terms of crop mix and scale that they are almost like two different countries.

They are as far apart as Ireland and France and this year the weather experienced highlighted this distance.

Ontario was like the French Riviera. We had eight weeks of continuous 30°+ weather from early June until the end of July. Add in humidity and these were not ideal conditions for an Irishman walking crops.

And while we had record dry conditions here in Ontario, western Canada was much more like the west of Ireland, with continuous high levels of rainfall. The western provinces experienced up to 10 times normal rainfall during this critical period and parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta had record rainfall for that period.

Western harvest

Unfortunately for western growers, the wet year continued and had a major effect on harvest conditions, as well as growing conditions. There was very little harvested in October and many growers feared the worst. A lot of growers had to wait for the first frost to get hard ground conditions for machinery to travel the fields.

Thankfully, there was a warm dry November in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which meant growers had harvested most acres by 25 November. An estimated 95% of all crops were harvested in Saskatchewan by 21 November.

The Peace River Region of Alberta, a major grain-producing area, seemed to be worst affected, with 20% of the harvest remaining less than three weeks ago. I am now assured by agronomists out west that the majority of growers have completed their harvest.

Excessive rainfall can cause lots of problems, including the spread of disease and eventual yield loss. But despite all the precipitation, harvest 2016 provided record yields for a lot of western growers.

In Saskatchewan, oats averaged 92 bushels per acre (1.43t/ac), 25% higher than the 10-year average. All of the cereal crops also had higher yields, including durum wheat, which is grown for pasta production.

Final wheat production for Canada in 2016 is expected to be 31.7Mt according to Statistics Canada’s final harvest report on 6 December. This is an extra one million tonnes of wheat above what was predicted pre-harvest.

Canola also yielded well despite poor harvest conditions and higher moistures, with average yields in Manitoba just shy of 44 bushels (1t/ac). The market had expected an extra 1Mt, but native crush supply could still be tight for 2017.

Some crops suffered yield losses, including lentils and chickpeas. These crops are speciality crops and are grown on smaller areas.

There may be some red clover in northern Manitoba (grown for seed) that will not be harvested, but otherwise the majority of acres are complete. Yields were surprisingly good, but there were some major quality issues, especially with higher-spec crops.

Durum wheat quality has been the worst-affected. The continuous wet weather and delayed harvest allowed for significant fusarium infection. This led to high levels of lower-grade durum, which can reduce price by up to $50/t.

Ontario harvest

In this province, the dry weather continued right through to maturity, leading to an earlier harvest. While western growers struggled to get in the fields, Ontario growers enjoyed exceptional harvest conditions, with almost every day in October being a harvest day.

Corn and soya bean growers approached the harvest here with low expectations, but were pleasantly surprised with quality and yield.

The start of the harvest was disappointing, as the earliest-planted soya beans came off with lower yields due to the drought. As harvest progressed, yields increased as they moved to fields that were planted later with higher levels of organic matter, which helped withstand the drought.

Soya bean harvest is now complete and final yields will average 45bu/ac – about normal. Overall, Canadian soya bean production totalled 6.5Mt in 2016, a record high.

The corn (maize) crop surprised a lot of growers. Although yields were variable, the provincial average will hit 160bu/ac (4t/ac), which is consistent with historical trends.

Yields were very variable in areas where there was no moisture whatsoever. A major factor in corn yield this year was the organic matter level in the soil. When we get no rainfall, we need higher soil organic matter to increase the water-holding capacity of the soil.

2017 trends

Every harvest provides lessons for the following year. The weather certainly left its mark on this year’s harvest. Due to substantial quality issues, the acres sown to durum wheat will decrease significantly in 2017 for growers in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Some canola growers are also considering planting earlier maturing varieties to hopefully avoid the quality problems caused by the late harvest.

In general, the mood is reasonably positive for next year, helped by the record yields achieved. It is expected that there will be increased acres of corn and soya beans grown in Manitoba following the record yields in 2016 in the province. In Ontario, we have to continue to manage all crops for top yields and, while we can’t control the weather, we can control how its impact is felt.

Soil organic matter levels are hugely important and having wheat in the rotation has left positive results through retained organic matter levels from incorporated straw. It was a tough growing season for growers in Canada, but it was a harvest of mostly pleasant surprises.

2016 was a record wheat harvest due to early planting and a mild winter; the 2017 crop has had an excellent start and has huge potential. Despite lower grain prices, 2016 provided record yields in a poor growing season and growers are optimistic about next year. Seed is ordered so it will all start again.