2018 HARVEST REPORT
Another harvest is in the books for North Country Grains. A summer of hard work, exhaustion, and endless tractor repairs… but we survived and we’re crazy enough to dream even bigger next year.
STRIVING FOR SUCCESS
DAVID BLY
WITHOUT HARD WORK,
IS LIKE TRYING TO
HARVEST WHERE YOU
HAVEN’T PLANTED
THE HERD
The start to 2018 was great. We welcomed 9 beautiful healthy calves into our herd. The weather for calving season stayed in our favour, and it seemed like luck was finally on our side.
The challenges this year got a late start. Everything was great until the herd went to pasture.
We had one cow left to calve, but being a veteran mom we figured she would be safe to have it in the pasture in a more natural setting. We visited the pasture just after her calf was born, and came back the next day to check on them. It was then that we realized she had lost her calf…
We tried scouting the pasture with our drone. We drove for hours around a bumpy pasture in our pickup with the kids looking for the calf, trying to decipher what could have happened. Was it a sick calf, or did a predator interfere?
A few days later another calf went missing, then another… but again. No carcass left behind. After speaking to a few people in the area we figured we were dealing with a Bear.
Did you know?
Bear’s will take a calf away to find a spot to bury the carcuss. Bear’s prefer, less fresh meat so they bury the carcuss and come back later for the feast.
So this is why the calves went missing…
It took a couple of weeks, but Conservation did end up catching the bear, and we had no troubles with the cattle since.
By the end of October the herd will be back home where we will start the weaning process by separating the cows from the calves. It’s always a nice feeling having everyone back home on the farm awaiting another year of adventures.
THE CROPS
This spring we rushed to get our crop in the ground early, ensuring it would benefit from the very little rainfall predicated in the forecast. The conditions were already looking dry, so we decided to plant our crop deeper than we normally would to help the roots get down to a healthy moisture level. That extra seed depth paid off.
The growing conditions this year were below average, the hay land could have used more rain especially earlier in the season – but we ended up with good crops with what Mother Nature gave us.
We were able to get our organic wheat harvested in great condition, and with very minor breakdowns during harvest which is always a plus on this farm.
In fact harvest went so well, my husband and I even got a chance to get a combine date night in. With 2 kids, it’s rare I get a chance to join him in the field for any significant amount of time.
The summer weather ended abruptly, damp weather with these cool days would have made for a miserable oat harvest. We were so thankful that we made the decision earlier in the year to cut our oats for green feed and avoided a stressful harvest. Unfortunately many farmers in our area are still struggling to get the crop off.
All that’s left now for us is field work, and tackling the mile long to-do list that was supposed to get done this summer.
Ryan and Amy Hofford operate a certified organic grain farm located just outside the rural community of Bowsman, Manitoba. On the farm they produce organic stone ground flour, and premium quality mixes all made from their own organic wheat. North Country Grains products are available online, and through select retailers across Canada.
Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food