The 2021 growing season affords many farmers an opportunity, perhaps unlike any they’ve experienced before — sky high prices and for some, a decent start to the planting season.
Western Canada’s drought will take some of the wind out of the sails of those looking to generate record profit, but for many farmers, this year could be one with a solid margin available.
That potential profit could have some thinking that this is the year to throw everything at the crop, but as Peter Johnson and Shaun Haney discuss in the segment below, it’s still important to make sure there’s a sound agronomic reason for everything in the tank.
Whether it’s fungicide, a plant growth regulator, or an insecticide, remember that there’s a chance the product is not needed (and simply lost money) or it could unfortunately, do harm — such as can be the case in an insecticide application that knocks out beneficial insects.
What will be key, Johnson says, is to keep feeding the crop and scout, scout, scout. This is definitely the year to pull the trigger on what the crop needs, but just make sure you’re keeping as much of that healthy margin as you can.