Spring field work begins across southern Perth County

A local farmer south of Shakespeare applies liquid manure to a fall wheat field while the ground remained frozen during the morning hours. Liquid manure provides a strong source of nitrogen to support crop growth ahead of summer harvest. Gary West photo

By Gary West

Spring field work is underway across southern Perth County as farmers take advantage of favourable weather conditions to prepare for the growing season.

Mouldboard plows and chisel plows have been active in fields south of Shakespeare and north of Tavistock, completing work that was left unfinished when winter arrived quickly last fall.

Some corn fields that were not harvested before the early snowfall are also now being combined, as farmers take advantage of improving field conditions to bring in crops that remained out over the winter.

When overnight temperatures dropped to about -9°C last weekend, some local hog and dairy farmers used the frozen ground to apply nitrogen to fall wheat fields. Frozen ground can provide an opportunity to move heavy equipment without causing soil compaction or damaging fields that would otherwise be too soft during warmer daytime temperatures.

Some farmers are also applying liquid manure to fields, providing a valuable source of nutrients, particularly nitrogen, which supports strong crop growth. Organic producers in particular rely on manure as a natural fertilizer because they do not use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.

By midday, warmer temperatures softened field conditions, limiting how long heavy equipment could operate without causing ruts or soil damage.

Input costs remain a concern for farmers heading into the growing season, particularly with uncertainty surrounding global fertilizer supply and fuel prices. Rising costs for fertilizer, fuel and other farm inputs can have downstream impacts on food-production costs.

Despite these challenges, farmers continue to make progress as conditions allow, taking advantage of short windows of favourable weather to complete important spring field work.