My First Blog - reflecting on 2011

On my list of what to do in 2012, one of those items was to write a blog. Last year i was introduced to the world of Twitter, but you can't always communicate ideas in 140 characters or less.

2011 marked the first year that i operated the entire family farm. I am the 4th generation to use this land and much of the equipment i have was purchased by the 2nd, and even some that was used by my great grandfather. I farm 265 workable acres and maintain a full time management position at a nearby manufacturing plant. But this blog is about me, which includes the farm, not the factory job.

This past year was a challenge, even for the experienced farmer. Technically i didn't quite finish all my work, and it was Jan 3 before I called it quits with the plow. But i managed to plant and harvest all the crops. Yields were good and prices too. But the size of the input costs really made a dent, every penny i have saved in working for others over the past 12 years has been consumed by the farm, and the mortgage payments on the home farm are too big for the day job alone to cover. But I am advancing.

Added a 15,000 bu bin for corn, complete with stiration and propane drying. Its a nice shinny addition to the homestead. And this december I replaced my grandfathers MF 540 combine with a slightly (3000hrs) used Gleaner R52 combine. I am so looking forward to using that 230 hp this year.

Not having any no-til equipment, i am a full tillage farmer. 2011 marked the first year of using GM seeds, and this roundup ready soy and corn did make spring planting much easier. I had good weed control, but used the old fashioned method of removing the escapes, i walked the field and carried the weeds out. This year I am going to give IP beans a try on last years wheat ground, and may even grow non-roundup ready corn, but I still have a few months to change my mind on that.

So with 2011 behind me, i am moving into 2012 with bins full of grain, not quite as much winter wheat as I wanted, but enough to fill the small bin if the yield is good, and a big combine for 265 acres. Yes, i am very happy with the situation. And sadly father time took my grandfather from me last year, i was fortunate enough to have heard the best praise a young farmer could get "your doing a good job by me".

Next Post >

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by pigsrgr8 on January 17, 2012 at 7:15am: Gus,

I enjoyed reading about your first year.

Good job.

Comment by Joe Dales on January 13, 2012 at 2:21pm: Thanks for sharing and best wishes in 2012.
Take care,
Joe

RSS

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Harvest is Racing Ahead of the 10-Year Average

Warm, dry weather kept combines rolling across Alberta this week, pushing harvest to 77 per cent complete — a jump of 18 points from last week and well ahead of the five- and ten-year averages of 68 and 54 per cent. Southern Farms Lead the Pack The South remains furthest ahead at 84 per cent complete, followed closely by the North West (80 per cent), Peace (78 per cent), North East (77 per cent) and Central (72 per cent). While progress has been strong province-wide, most producers are now hoping for a good soaking before freeze-up to rebuild depleted soil-moisture reserves. What’s in the Bin Most early crops — winter wheat, fall rye, lentils and peas — are wrapped up. Durum is 92 per cent finished, spring wheat 89 per cent, barley 87 per cent and oats 82 per cent. Chickpeas are 71 per cent off, while mustard leads the oilseed group at 85 per cent. Canola sits just over halfway done at 56 per cent, and flax remains well behind average at 35 per cent. Crop Quality Snapshot Overall gr

Hursh: Comparing crop yields month-over-month

The Saskatchewan crop has become larger as harvest has progressed. Here are some comparisons between the yield estimates in Thursday’s crop report to the estimates made back in early September. Only a couple crops have seen their yield estimates reduced over the past month. Oats are down one bushel to 92 bushels an acre. Soybeans are also down a bushel to 39 bushels per acre. Barley remains the same as the provincial estimate made in early September – 71 bushels per acre and field peas are the same at 42. Other crops are up. Durum is up by 3 bushels to 41. Flax is up a bushel to 26. The canola yield estimate is up 3 bushels to 42. Spring wheat is up one to 51 bushels. Mustard has improved by 51 pounds per acre to 1192 pounds. Canary seed is up 76 pounds to 1419. Lentils are up 128 pounds to a provincial average of 1922. Chickpeas have the biggest price improvement going to 1817 pounds an acre, an increase of 195 pounds. In most cases, crop quality is good, but price levels

Opinion: Agriculture has always been economic driver

When one looks at the modern machinery of a Canadian Prairie harvest it seems almost like something out of a Robert A. Heinlein, or Isaac Asimov novel I might have read as a youth in the late 1960s or into the 1970s. The computer technology for recording yields on the fly, the technology that allows the combine operator – if it’s not self-driving – to take control of grain carts, the global positioning tech involved, it seems more starship than grain harvest. Such thoughts ran through this writer’s head when I was out taking photos of the Health Foundation’s Farming for Health harvest at Yorkton. But maybe even more amazing is that agriculture has already been ready to adopt new technology through the years. Really in the grand passage of time farming on the Prairies really started a mere ‘blink’ ago – remember Saskatchewan only came into existence as a province in 1905 – and at that time agriculture was still very much horse-powered – horses pulling the plows and binders and sheaf

Saskatchewan Harvest Nears Completion; Yield Estimates Still Top StatsCan

The Saskatchewan harvest is winding down, with the latest provincial yield estimates still topping the Statistics Canada projections released last month. Thursday’s Saskatchewan crop report estimated the provincewide harvest at 93% complete as of Monday, up from 84% a week earlier. That is slightly behind the five-year average of 98% but ahead of the 10-year average of 87%. Last year at this time, the harvest was 97% done. “Dry conditions over the past few weeks allowed harvest to catch up to seasonal averages,” the report said. Harvest progress is most advanced in the west-central region at 96% complete, followed by the southwest and northwest at 95%. The east-central and northeast regions are each 93% harvested, while the southeast sits at 92%. Nearly all winter cereal and pulse crops have been harvested, with chickpeas the exception at 70% complete. Spring cereals are largely off the field, with 98% of spring wheat and barley combined, along with 96% of durum and oats. Amon

Canadian Cattle Association Statement on Canada and Indonesia Signing Final CEPA Text

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) welcomes the signing of the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Prabowo Subianto as a positive step towards further trade diversification in the Indo-Pacific Region. During negotiations and leading up to the announcement, CCA worked closely with the Ministers of Trade and Agriculture and Canadian officials to receive the best meaningful market access outcome for beef, including the immediate phase-out of tariffs for many beef products. CCA was present for the announcement of CEPA during the Team Canada Trade Mission to Indonesia last fall and when Canada’s Minister of International Trade signed an associated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and Indonesia to establish a bilateral dialogue on sanitary and phytosanitary issues to address market access issues of interest to both Parties, including in the trade of Canadian beef. “We appreciate the efforts of

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service