Fourth generation farmer Joey Bendoritis may be young, but the 24-year-old already knows a year can make a considerable difference in the quality and quantity of his crop production.
“You’re never going to have a perfect year,” Bendoritis said from his canola field in Leduc County, although this year he said things are looking much better than the last.
“Things from last year have done a complete 180,” he added.
On July 21, 2015, Leduc County declared a state of agricultural disaster.
READ MORE: More Alberta counties declare Agricultural Disasters
Drought wreaked havoc on farms and cattle operations across the province last spring and summer and prompted 26 counties to declare states of emergencies.
Last year, Bendoritis said his wheat field was a disaster and only knee high when it should have been as high as his waist. The pasture for his cows was almost gone and the family farm was forced to make a tough decision.
“We’re cutting cereal crops for feed that we would normally be selling on the market,” Bendoritis said in 2015.
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Some areas in the province had only 50 millimetres of rain in two months. In late August 2015, the Alberta government declared a province-wide disaster.
Fast forward 365 days and most areas across the province have had decent levels of moisture.
Ralph Wright with Alberta Agriculture said the spring started much like last year, but this year the rain came mid-May instead of mid-July.
“It’s variable but all on the good side,” Wright said. “There are very few areas in the province that are below normal for moisture.”
Bendoritis planted his pea crop early and predicts he will be ready for harvest next month.
“The day after we finished our planting it started raining,” he said. “It was the perfect scenario for us, couldn’t have been better.”
Hail has damaged some of his canola crop but the farmer said it still will have much better yields than last year.
He is counting on more moisture and heat before the rest of the harvest in the fall.
“You cross your fingers and hope for the best,” Bendoritis said.
Alberta Agriculture said some lands through central Alberta have had excessive moisture, but in general Alberta is looking at a good growing season so far.
“Every season is sort of like a snowflake, they’re all a little bit different,” Wright said.
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