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The combines are out, harvest is underway, and farmers are starting to see how the growing season shaped up in Saskatchewan.
Nick Cornea is a farmer from Drinkwater, southwest of Regina. During an interview on the Greg Morgan Morning Show this week, he said things are busy on the farm with harvest underway. He said this year’s harvest is shaping up to be “not terrible” compared to previous years, despite the lack of rain in the area this year.
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Listen to the full interview with Cornea, or read the transcript below:
The following questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
GREG MORGAN: What has life been like, hour-wise for you lately?
NICK CORNEA: Between combining and doing some straw bales in the evenings and nighttime and getting up early to get trucks unloaded and all that kind of stuff, get combines greased and blown off, she’s been a busy one.
How is this year’s harvest shaping up compared to previous years?
CORNEA: It’s not terrible in our region, for not having a whole lot of rain like we did this year. Actually some of our yields are pretty surprising. I told the kids “We don’t have an imaginary Christmas just yet.” We still have to get our canola off.
What crops are you harvesting right now, and how are the yields?
CORENA: We did our red and green lentils, and they were pretty good. Lentils like their heat and their stress and everything, so this is a good year for them. A neighbor used to always say, “Lentils only need water twice in their life; once right after you plant them and then once before you put them in the pot.” So they were pretty good. The wheat was hit and miss. Some fields were really good, some were kind of meh. Hearing lots of good yields, all different places, then some places where there are three bushels an acre… But for us, we’ve been pretty good. I can’t totally complain about it.
Have you faced any major challenges during this harvest in the last few weeks?
CORNEA: It’s been running fairly smoothly. Haven’t had any major breakdowns, other than the odd oil leak on a tractor and stuff like that. We had two days in a row that one neighbor’s combine burnt, and then another neighbor’s combine burnt, all within basically 24 hours of each other. Depressing, and kind of a reminder to do your due diligence. They blow their combines off like everyone else, just things can happen. But the community rallied together for both of them, and some guys went and helped them combine and keep them caught up.
Are you seeing any trends or changes in how harvest is being done in your area at all?
CORNEA: No, everything’s kind of the same this year. Guys are running their combines early in the morning ‘til late at night. There’s a new demo or prototype combine up north of Moose Jaw that people see once in a while on the highway. It’s a pretty cool three-in-one system that is getting put to the test up north, so it’s not on my farm yet.
Is harvest a bit behind what it was last year?
CORNEA: We’re about two thirds done. We’ve got maybe 1,700 acres or so of canola left. We just finished our durum wheat yesterday. I think everyone’s kind of progressing favorably in our area. Obviously, you go to the southwest corner and they’re a little faster, and you go up north the guys are just starting to get rolling. I’ve got relatives up north that are starting to swath their canola and get that stuff ready to go, but not much else is going on.
How are commodity prices affecting the outlook this year on the farm?
CORNEA: They are not the best. We’ve seen better, that’s for sure. And we’re hoping for that arrow on the chart to go the other way.
What is your go-to music playlist for harvest?
CORNEA: Depends on the day. If it’s a frustrating day, we’re going ‘90s bangers; Blink-182 to Alice In Chains to maybe a little Metallica. A laid-back day, throw on the country’s greatest hits, Brooks & Dunn, or some King George and stuff like that. I am a man of many (types of) music.
