Trump losing battle against Mother Nature
U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP may think he’s a winner against Canada when it comes to political negotiations. But against Mother Nature, he’s a loser.
No matter what he does – although his environmental draconian policies will likely make global warming worse, eventually – he can’t stop Ontario crop producers from having a banner year.
In the late summer, while Trump was tweeting away about how he had Canada in the palm of his hand, the weather was blessing farmers here with a perfect blend of high heat and even precipitation.
As a result, what had earlier been forecast as a potential crop disaster flipped on its head.
Now, record corn and soybean harvests are forecasted in some parts of southern Ontario, after what’s being described as a dramatic turnaround in growing conditions through August. Here’s what happened. Earlier this summer, spotty and isolated precipitation – often in the same
field, and certainly in the same township – had producers expecting mostly average crops.
But then came August, with its combination of above-average temperatures, humidity and evenly spread rainfall.
In the Kitchener area for example, temperatures dipped below the average for just two days. Overall, they were two degrees Celsius higher than average.
That’s a great one-two punch for producing yield – and that’s exactly what’s happened in fields throughout southern and southwestern Ontario.
One farmer I talked to near Chatham, the heart of Ontario’s corn belt, said he’s never seen soybeans and corn like this before. He predicted it could be his biggest year ever, even though he planted late because of unfavourable spring conditions.
Another farmer near Conn, Henk Pastink of Henria Holsteins, says his farm’s corn crop recovered well from mild heat stress in June.
“We were pretty lucky, given the hit-and-miss showers in this area,” he says. “The corn crop now looks better than we’ve seen in the last few years, with all the heat and humidity and rain that eventually came on a regular basis. It pulled the corn out of drought stress. Big cobs, big yields.”
Dale Cowan, senior agronomist with AGRIS and Wanstead co-ops, says many other producers are likewise experiencing upbeat results.
“We averted a disaster,” he says. “Back in June it was dry, then followed by intense rain, up to six inches in a single event, in isolated locations. But in August, things changed and now everyone has received the rain they need, along with the hot weather.”
Disease pressure that might normally be associated with wet weather was staved off. Aphids and white mould were present in some fields, but by the time they arrived, plants had already matured.
As a result, yield was unaffected. Cowan predicts record averages of 180 to 185 bushels per acre for corn, about 10-15 bushels per acre higher than the historic average. Soybeans could average out in the low 50 bushels per acre range and beat the last record of 48 bushels per acre, set in 2012.
“The yield is set, nothing can change that,” says Cowan. “It’s just a matter of getting good harvest weather.”
All this good fortune in Canada likely infuriates Donald Trump. But given the pushback he’s starting to get even from U.S. farmers – to whom he’s giving billions of dollars to offset his selfish trade war – he may be learning the folly of interfering in a food production system that is way beyond his control, let alone his comprehension level.
Even he can’t beat Mother Nature.