District growers optimistic despite wet, cold spring

Despite cool, wet weather this spring that’s made tilling and planting a challenge, district farmers are optimistic about the growing season ahead.
At the Emo Agriculture Research Station, crops have germinated but haven’t done a whole lot since, research co-ordinator Kim Jo Bliss noted.
Grassy weeds, on the other hand, thrive under cool wet conditions.
Furthermore, weed control is falling behind because workers can’t get on the land to spray.
“We definitely have lots of moisture. Now we need the warmth,” Bliss stressed.
The average temperature in May was 8.5 Celsius. A year ago, the May average was 14 C while it was 13 C back in 2006.
The station also recorded just 86.2 corn heat units in May (a reading of 300 or more is considered normal). Heat units use a complicated formula to measure growing conditions.
Precipitation since the beginning of April, at 132.5 mm, was not substantially above normal but with the cool weather, plants are not taking up as much moisture and evaporation is slower.
“On the positive side, if your lawns are growing, your pastures are growing,” noted Bliss, who raises beef north of Emo. “Grass doesn’t mind this kind of weather.”
Mark Gerber’s farm on River Road, west of Fort Frances, includes eight acres of produce. He feels fairly optimistic about a good growing season ahead.
“When we came from Switzerland 50 years ago, we soon learned that we need tile drainage in the Rainy River District,” he recalled.
Gerber likes to see lots of rain. “With tile drainage, we can get on the field soon after a rain. That makes a big difference,” he explained.
As well, many of the crops Gerber grows—leeks, cabbage, onions, beets, lettuce, and carrots—don’t mind the cool weather.
“The cool May was a surprise, but I don’t see it as too negative because I see how quickly things catch up,” Gerber remarked. “We still have a couple of weeks to seed grain, or even potatoes and sweet corn.
“Things really grow fast once they start.”
Many of the newer varieties, especially corn, require good growing conditions and Gerber is mindful the old saying: “You have to wait ’til the oak leaves are the size of squirrels’ ears before planting.”
Gerber has several brothers who grow produce on his behalf, and with a variety of soil types and growing conditions, he is able to extend the marketing season.
They also are increasing production for the local food box programs.
But Gerber especially likes the personal contact he gets with his customers at the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market here as well as at the one in Kenora.
“It’s important to meet the people and talk to them—to connect with them,” he insisted.
“On Saturday, we had fresh eggs, radishes, and rhubarb, and would have had more produce but we had an accident,” Gerber recalled.
“We have a new St. Bernard and it is learning to get along with all the other animals,” he noted. “It grabbed a sheep and in the process of rescuing the sheep, a gate was left open and during the night all the sheep got into the early garden, which had onions, peas, and spinach.
“I am learning not to blow up because that only makes it worse,” Gerber quipped.
Melvin Heatwole, owner of Heatwoles’ Produce, said they didn’t get anything in before the late April snowstorm when it turned wet.
“The peas, the sweet onions, the carrots—everything is looking good now but it is a month behind,” he noted, though suggesting it could catch up somewhat if we were to get “some 80-degree weather.”
Still, he expects it to be a later season this year.
The Heatwoles have been producing vegetables on black rich soil on Shaw Road, three km east of Stratton, for the past six years, selling them on-site and at farmers’ markets.
But they recently decided to concentrate more on supplying food boxes and other bulk orders.
“We appreciate the support that the community has shown,” said Miriam Heatwole. “But we are very busy. At the same time, we don’t want to disappoint anyone, so if people phone ahead, we will accommodate them.
“We were hoping to have radishes ready for the food box this month, but it looks like they will need just a bit more time,” she added. “[But] we will have enough rhubarb to supply the Clover Valley food box.”
Their sweet onions have been a hit at farmers’ markets and in the “Healthy Living” food box, and Miriam Heatwole indicated that since they are able to grow such good onions, they plan to focus more on doing that in the future.
Meanwhile, Barwick dairy farmer Bernie Zimmerman, despite having 85 percent of his roughly 120 acres seeded, admitted the cold wet spring has made his farming operation very difficult.
“There are acres that I will not be able to seed,” he said, though noting he was able to get the planting done in good time on the tile drained fields.
“Everything is a week-and-a-half later than anticipated because of the cool, damp spring,” Zimmerman added. “Some of the fertilizing on grain fields isn’t finished because it’s just too wet.
“When the weather does clear up, the frustrating part will be prioritizing the jobs and finding the manpower to do them,” he remarked.
Zimmerman is a participant in the switchgrass trials for the new AbitibiBowater biomass boiler in Fort Frances but hasn’t been able to get that seeded yet.
“I wanted to do some weed control to ensure a better catch of switchgrass and I haven’t been able to get on that, either,” he noted.
Zimmerman is sure there’s a lot of unseeded acres in the district—and that he will not be the only one claiming crop insurance for those.
“Crop insurance is an option more farmers should consider,” he said. “You have to learn to cope.”
Carl Martin, who runs a dairy farm north of Stratton, agreed it’s been a difficult spring. He has seeded 40 acres of corn, 30 acres of barley, and 30 acres of oats, and is about 70 percent finished.
“We have about 40 acres we were planning to seed that aren’t seeded yet and it depends now on how soon it is going to dry up,” he noted. “If we could get on the field by next week, we will try to put some seed in the ground.
“But if it’s too much longer than that, we would probably just summer fallow it or put in a crop of fall rye or fall wheat.”
Martin explained most of what he has left to sow are fields he planned to seed down to hay, and he was hoping it would be dry enough so they would be able to seed all the low spots.
Martin’s corn is just peeking through the ground and with warm weather, he speculated it would take off.
“It’s not so wet that the crops are suffering from too much rain,” he noted. “It’s just been enough to keep us off the field.
“It will depend on what it does from here,” he added. “I am still optimistic that they will get fairly decent crops—at least, what’s in the ground so far.
“The hay is growing now,” Martin continued. “It is going to be a few weeks later than normal, but hopefully there will be some tonnage there.”
The home garden is important to many farming families and the Martin’s is looking good.
“The peas went out a little later than usual and with the weather being so cool, some transplants aren’t in the garden yet,” Martin said. “That was planned for this week and now it is raining again.”