The whirr of combines could be heard across Central Lambton as local farmers pushed to bring in the crop before the next rain.
Kevin Marriott, director of the Lambton Grain Farmers’ says many farmers headed out onto the field Saturday and dodged the rain and the dew over the next couple of days to bring the crop in.
Marriott says this year’s crop is on the low end of the average year with about 85 to 90 bushels per acre.
And while that’s not too bad, considering the wet weather this year, Marriott says for many, it is a bit of a letdown after last year’s record-breaking crop.
“The negative is it is way down compared to last year,” says Marriott noting there was a bumper crop with yields up 20 per cent over all-time highest yields. “This is a good solid average.”
The upside is wheat is selling for more than it did last year. Fears of a poor wheat crop in the US because of drought has driven the price up between $1 and $1.50 per bushel.
This year, about 855,000 acres of wheat was planted in Ontario, down from 975,000 last year. Lambton County is one of the largest wheat producers in the province.