HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-01-10, Page 9The Huron Expositor • January 10, 2007 Page 9
News
Mild weather allows farmers to experiment with
January planting of spring cereals: crop specialist
Susan H u n d e r t m a r k
The typically snow-covered fields
of January traditionally cause a
time of dormancy when it comes to
local agriculture.
But, the mild weather and lack of
much
snow has
Stratford -
b a s e d
OMAF
crop spe-
cialist
Peter
Johnson
e xperi-
menting
with
January
planting.
While
he's not
ready to
✓ ecom-
mend it
Huron East
saves
$22,000 on
snow removal
From Page 1
December and early
January keeping up
with the "construction
end of things," such as
ditching, digging for
lagoon tanks and bury-
ing foundations.
He notes that these
kinds of jobs would usu-
ally not be possible in
traditional Huron
County winter weather.
"I haven't seen a win-
ter like this in quite a
few years," he com-
ments.
Ryan adds by this
time most winters, he's
been called out an aver-
age of 20 times, while
this year he's had about
half as many calls.
At Heard
Construction Ltd.,
which services
Seaforth's Main Street,
business has been
about the same - busy,
but just not with snow
removal.
Owner Don Heard
says he's only been
called upon four nights
so far this winter, all of
which came early in
December. Usually, he
adds, he's been out at
least 20 times by now.
Heard says it's rare to
have been called upon
so little by early
January, but that it
hasn't been all bad,
since he has gotten to
keep working on exca-
vating and basement
digging.
"It's rare. I can't
remember a stretch like
this," he says.
"The grounds not
frozen, so we'll continue
to work like it's the
spring."
yet, Johnson is planting spring
wheat this year for the second
January in a row and is expecting
an increased yield based on last •
year's results.
"It's just about unheard of to
plant in January in this area but we
thought we'd push the envelope," he
said Friday during a phone inter-
view.
"I'm not recommending it yet but
I've had an awful lot of farmers call-
ing and a lot say they're going onto
the fields in the next two weeks.
They're keen to try a new idea,"
said Johnson.
With a very wet fall this season,
Johnson says Huron County farm-
ers have been on the land into
January still harvesting corn and
soybeans.
"Because of the wet fall condi-
tions, there's still the odd field out
there with the grower late harvest-
ing the crop," he said, explaining
the tractors seen on the land last
week.
And, he said the warm weather
this winter is allowing winter wheat
crops - many of which were planted
late because of the wet weather - to
grow and catch up.
"Anytime the temperature is
above zero, the crop is growing and
the winter wheat does have emerg-
ing growth," he said.
Johnson said if farmers plant on
the frost, they might want to take
the risks inherent in planting
spring cereals in January.
Last year, he saw a 57 per cent
yield increase in spring wheat by
planting in January and in March
on the frost over waiting to plant in
the dry soil of April.
"I got a good crop last year," he
said.
But, despite the fact that he's
planting for the first time ever in
January during the past two years,
Johnson said he isn't convinced the
region is seeing significant climate
change.
"The weather this year may still
be an anomaly but it's giving us an
interesting opportunity so let's take
advantage of it," he said.
Huron Federation of Agriculture
president Steve Thompson said he
thinks it's still risky business to
plant in January in Huron County.
"We in Huron County can go from
no snow to 10 inches overnight," he
said.
For those who have wheat plant-
ed, Thompson said he thinks the
mild winter is helping.
"I don't know what a hard frost or
heavy snow will do but you want to
be optimistic," he said.
Otherwise, Thompson said he's
enjoying the mild winter.
"For those of us who still have
chores to do outside, it makes
things more enjoyable, there'srelief
from high heating bills and who
doesn't want some relief from all
that snow plowing?" he said.
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