EASTERN ONTARIO — Ontario’s two most popular crop assessment tours are both projecting strong corn and soybean yields this season— but nothing like a record in either commodity. Statistics Canada also sees it the same way.
The recently concluded 13th annual Great Lakes Grain Assessment Tour forecasts a provincial corn-yield average of 176.9 bu/ac while the farms.com 7th annual Great Ontario Yield Tour forecasts 186.6 bu/ac. The competing efforts also foresee respective soybean yields of 48.8 and 50.3 bushels per acre.
Great Lakes Grain also projects that the far eastern end of the province — an area from Lanark, Leeds and Grenville east to the Quebec border — will exceed the average, at 183 bu/ac for corn and 45.9 bu/ac for soybeans.
Meanwhile, Statistics Canada is calling for average soybean yields of 49.3 bu/ac and corn yields of 172.6 bu/ac in Ontario this year.
Ontario corn growers enjoyed a record 200 bu/ac average last year, according to Agricorp, with soybeans posting a second best-ever 53 bu/ac.
Glen Gordon Farms’ Duncan Ferguson agrees that “corn yields are going to be down a little from last year,” but not enough to concern the market. The Williamstown farmer and grain elevator operator noted that cooler conditions in June set the crops back slightly, especially the soybeans. “I’m comfortable with the crops,” Ferguson added.
“It’s hard to say until the combine actually rolls, but both crops look pretty good,” Andy Corput, of Chesterville, said of his 800 acres of corn and 525 acres of beans.
