Gainsborough farmer wishes it would stay dry until his crop is in the ground

Canada’s breadbasket is gearing up for farming season.

Lee Stanley farms near Gainsborough. He told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Monday he feels good about this week’s weather, despite seeing a bit of rain in the morning.

“If we could control the weather, we’d like it to stay dry until the crop is in the ground and then give us a lot of rain all summer,” he said. “My grandfather used to say, ‘You never get much rain in this Saskatchewan area, you just get it at the wrong time.’ ”

Stanley added “the big outfits” have already started seeding.

“Smaller guys (are) getting the cinder ready, bringing the fertilizer, chemical, seed and everything into the farm and doing a bit of fieldwork,” he said. “Those (are the) kinds of things that we need to get before the seed goes in the ground.”

Stanley jokingly said if people weren’t optimistic, they wouldn’t be in the farming business, adding they’re a little scared right now.

“The inputs are down a bit from where they were, but our prices are down a lot from where they were here a year ago,” he added.

According to Stanley, prices have some impact on what farmers are deciding to grow this year.

“People always try and catch the ‘Cinderella crop,’ ” he added. “Most guys … stick to (their) rotation, (so they don’t) get disease issues.”

Stanley said it’s also safer financially for farmers to stick with their usual rotation.

“(They) might not be filthy rich, but (they’ll) never go broke either,” he said.