Some soybean growers switch to different crops, while others get a better idea how the crop can cope in dry conditions
Farmers and their organizations have had to adapt to the shocks of drought and the pandemic.
That should lead to a more flexible, more informed agricultural sector, thinks the executive director of the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers.
“You obviously have to adapt,” said Daryl Domitruk following the conclusion of his organization’s annual meeting.
“A lot of those adaptations were successful.”
For farmers, two years of drought have led some to swing acres out of soybeans and into crops like dry beans. Others have stuck with soybeans and learned a lot about how they face up to challenging dryness.
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“The dramatic response of soybeans to even the slightest shower in August has been confirmed,” said Domitruk during the meeting.
Many younger farmers have never experienced drought, so they’ve had that chance now to learn how to manage through excessive dryness. That’s a marked contrast to the prevailing situation in the 2000s, when soybean acreage was soaring and soils were often saturated.
“What we’ve had in the last two years of drought is kind of a complete bookending of the conditions we can expect for farming in this part of the world,” said Domitruk.
“We now know what we can expect in the range of conditions here in the eastern Prairies.”
Researchers have seen some trials disrupted or undermined by severe drought situations, but others have been able to use the drought to better understand how crops react.
Despite the conditions, Domitruk said 121 research projects were carried out in 2021, as well as 54 regional variety trials.
“At the end of the day, the numbers don’t look that different,” said Domitruk in an interview.
For the MPSG, the pandemic’s restrictions have driven many formerly in-person and on-site events online, including field days and the annual meeting.
While not what the organization wanted, the experience of two full years of virtual events means that some digital possibilities will probably survive the end of the pandemic.
“We’re developing those virtual tools, and they’re good ones,” said Domitruk, predicting a post-pandemic “blend” of in-person and virtual events.
“Eventually, we might come out ahead.”
So far, the set-up for 2022 is encouraging, with a heavy snowpack offering both moisture at melt and the hopes that wetter conditions might be coming.
But Domitruk said rather than simply a return to normal, farmers will benefit from weather that is less volatile, if that comes.
“In a lot of ways, we (most) want stability,” said Domitruk.
“Does stability mean back to normal, or does stability mean stability at a new level?”
For more content related to drought management visit The Dry Times, where you can find a collection of stories from our family of publications as well as links to external resources to support your decisions through these difficult times.
