It is now February so as I finalize the crop planning for 2017 (which I was hoping to have done a month ago) I am staring at data from the NOAA, farmer's almanac and all the other agriculture-related news outlets.
This time last year, I had predicted that the La-Nina would be here and would cause massive amounts of snow. I was right...kinda. It's just that I thought all of us in Prince George would be seeing this large dump of snow and instead it hit a bit further south in record-breaking accumulations.
Creighton University emeritus professor Art Douglas sees El Nino in his long-range forecast. That's right, we are going back to El Nino again and supposedly it will be similar to the one in 2015.
Can you see a bipolar trend of mother nature now?
What an El Nino season could look like for us in the Prince George region is actually comforting for a farmer (not so much for forestry in terms of fires). It is looking to be a drier spring with above normal temperatures throughout the summer. Now if you recall the summer of 2015, you will remember that summer seemed to just keep on going and going into the fall and well, I am ok with that just so long as there is not too much moisture. Fall rains always make digging spuds difficult and really make a mess on the farm (the mud room lives up to its namesake).
It is still best to prepare for whatever is thrown our way in terms of weather in an uncertain climate whose fluctuations are constantly breaking records. One thing is for sure for me is that I am happy I dug a pond last year for irrigation needs just in case we do have a bit of dry one this coming year.
After last summer's wet and mucky season, I personally could use a bit of drier weather. I can always add water to crops but taking it off is a bit hard to do in clay soil.
Drier and warmer seasons are always the best for production of our infamous cold climate cantaloupe, which customers will be seeing in large numbers this year. We reckon it will be a good season for those who are on our vegetable box program as those who are not will not likely get to taste that rare fruit nor our rainbow colored sweet corn.
Now...back to crop planning.
Have a great week, Prince George, and enjoy the warm weather!
