Ever since our ancestors arrived in this part of the world, they learned that those who worked together were the most successful. Some came ashore with an axe, some had a few food supplies like grain, a few pieces of material or maybe just knowledge or construction or weaving. Somebody brought an ox or a cow along. They knew that a cold winter was coming and a shelter must be constructed so they worked together on nice days that it didn’t pour rain, but they had no control of the weather and had to work on the good days.
Those with an axe worked at cutting trees. The guy with the oxen moved the . . .
heavy logs. The person who had carpentry skills guided the building of shelters. Seeds had to be planted in freshly cleared land and not everyone came with wheat, vegetable seeds, potatoes, corn and all other seeds that would grow into foods that would sustain them through the winter.
They had to share and work together when the weather permitted. Some had more hunting skills than others. Some knew how to make maple syrup. Finding wood for the winter fire was not hard, but wood had to be cut and gathered to dry for winter. All these jobs were both shared and many needed a group of pioneers to work together on the days that suited.
When a deer or moose was killed, everyone shared in the work of butchering and sharing the meat before it spoiled or was canned, but not everyone was experienced in canning or had even brought along sealers for canning meat, fruit, or vegetables.
Again, pioneers had to work with the weather and do outside jobs on nice days and inside jobs when it rained. They realized that the clock did not dictate the beginning or ending of work. They worked when they could and whether they felt like it or not.
Most farmers have at least one field that can be too wet to work except that couple of days when the sun and wind dried the ground and it didn’t rain. They learned that they must be ready to work the field when it was ready, not just when it suited them.
Farmers also learned that when the weather is right to make hay, you must leave other jobs and make hay on the days that suit. Sometimes it means working long hours to save the crop while the weather coopereates. Farmers get frustrated when they cannot get parts for a broken corn planter on the 24th of May weekend. Planting a crop a few days late can reduce grain yields by 10 per cent or more. This can result in increased food cost the next year and most consumers don’t know why.
A break on the combine during Thanksgiving weekend can delay the farmer harvesting a bumper crop during a few nice days followed by a couple of weeks of rain and by the time that farmer can harvest that field that had the bumper crop, he had lost 20 per cent of the yield on that field. Again, that little delay will add to an increase in the price of some foodstuff.
The spring of 2022, we watched fertilizer prices increase substantially and some of that fertilizer that was applied before that two week period of heavy rains, even though that should have been the best time to plant. That heavy rain washed some of that expensive fertilizer down below the root zone of the crop. That loss of fertilizer and the delay in planting the remaining crop contributed to a very probable decrease in crop yield this fall. Again, this will result in an increase in grain and food prices during the next year.
On the positive side, some very timely rains this fall has saved some grain crops that were starving for rain during July of 2022. Fall grain crops may not be as good as average but some late applied nitrogen to replace that washed down with heavy June rains will help corn crops. Hay crops in our county for 2022 have been great to record. Again, the farmers who were ready when that window of good haying weather arrived, harvested the best crop.
Two weekends ago, thousands of us enjoyed one of the most successful Shawville Fairs in history. This also happened because many, many volunteers worked together for months getting this fair together.
Last weekend, we enjoyed a successful open house at Gladcrest and The Little Red Wagon because everyone worked together putting it together. Don’t just wait for an advertised open house to visit a farm. Most farms are open to interested visitors most days. It is the farmer’s job to explain why and what we do to provide safe, nutritious, affordable food for Canadian consumers.
We must all work together for success of our community, region and country. Someone greater than all of us is in control of the weather and we have to be ready to work with the weather that we are provided with.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
