Behind the Lines - November 2012

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Were those remarkably mild days in March a harbinger of the droughty summer to come? Forget that question. Were they a harbinger of springs we will see in the future?

According to this issue's cover story, Environment Canada thinks so. In less than 40 years, federal environmentalists assert, southwestern Ontario's climate will match that of Kentucky today. If snowy days chill you to the bone, this might sound like a good idea. But there may be a price to pay.

Remember the late 1980s and '90s, when less severe winters allowed opossums to survive in Ontario? They brought a horse parasite with them that was either fatal or very expensive to treat.  Similarly, Ontario crop farmers will face an onslaught of pests they have never seen before. Mike Mulhern's story starts on page 12.

In the same vein, and starting on page 54, columnist Henry Hengeveld gives us the numbers to show us, scientifically, just how dry last summer was. At the same time, he points out that Ontario's drought troubles paled in comparison to those suffered in the American Midwest, where much of the continent's corn and soybeans are grown.

Crops are hot on the list of topics these last few months and our coverage reflects that. Do you feel that seed corn prices are going through the roof? If so, you aren't alone. Starting on page 28, field editor Mary Baxter looks at the ever-increasing price of corn seed and the factors behind those increases. On page 34, writer Susan Mann warns that, when the Canadian Standards Association stops certifying grain dryers at the end of this year, farmers will find it harder and more expensive to get an important piece of harvest equipment operating or replaced.

And on page 56 Mann takes a look at on-farm dairy processing. Two producers have gone beyond simply putting milk in the bulk tank. They are marketing a brand to consumers with positive results so far, but had to jump through some hoops finding suitably sized equipment before they could do it.

On page 48, columnist Pat Lynch takes a look at the "art" of plowing, as demonstrated at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show in September. It's a reminder that you can't satisfy all of the people all of the time.

Ontario's major farming areas are downwind of the leading industrial areas in the United States and Ontario, or at least they were. As the smokestacks of shuttered factories quit spewing, some soils may become sulphur-deficient for the first time in many decades. As a result, high-demand crops may need a supplementation, writes Seedbed columnist Keith Reid.

On page 46, Crop Scene Investigation returns with episode 39, "The mystery of the fallen corn trail." As in the past, correct answers to this mystery will be pooled and one reader will win a Wireless Weather Station. BF

ROBERT IRWIN & DON STONEMAN