Some soybean yields were disastrous for small farms

LAMBTON COUNTY — While Ontario reported strong soybean yields in 2024, constant heavy rains made for poor yields in some areas.

The 10-year Ontario soybean yield average is 48 bu/ac and farmers on average were enjoying yields north of 50. But not Robert Johnston, who reported a dismal yield of 25 bushel beans per acre on 250 acres in Lambton County, in Western Ontario, where yields are often just above the provincial average.

We “got dumped with rain week after week after week,” he said. “I got my last 100 acres in three days after the crop insurance deadline.”

Some producers had great crops, while others had disastrous crops, he said, adding the many people don’t realize that when bad weather hits, the small farms suffer the most. “Large farms spread the risk” as they often have fields in different areas with different micro-climates, he said.