Canadian farmers

DeltaRed

Well-known Member
How for north can you guys 'farm'? what crops are grown in your areas?How far north can you grow corn? grain or silage? I'm kinda of intrigued by Canada.Always have been.Would even consider moveing there if the opportunity presented itself..... Thanks,Steve.
 
Hi Steve, i live about 2 hours north of the US border close the provincial boundary between Manitoba and Saskatchewan...
i grow, canola,peas spring wheat and oats... there is some winter wheat here, also some fall rye, corn for silage (we are a little too cool for grain corn) and soy beans are iffy here too...

Having said that, on the prairies the agricultural area runs in a line roughly north west from north of Winnipeg (Manitoba) to Fort St John (BC), so roughly 51 degrees N in Manitoba to 59 degrees N in BC...

Generally west is drier and warmer... Lots of corn and beans grown in Manitoba esp in the red river valley south of Winnipeg...
 
I had an Army buddy in the 60s whose Dad emigrated from Montana to Canada....said the homesteaded land was about a thousand miles north, near the Peace River IIRC. Just small grain there. Often wondered how that worked out for them, getting cheap land from the Crown.
 
Hi Steve, I farm in what is called south centrel Ontario, we are listed as 2700 heat units, but in the last 10-15 years have always received 300hu. very much like any of the northeren states around the Great Lakes , as they influence our weather. We grow corn peas beans wheat oats barley canola even tobacco, and peanuts, and of coarse potatoes , and some tender fruit. Bruce
 
It depends. Canada is large than the US and in quite diverse. Travel a few miles and everything changes.
BC west of the mountains is a temperate rain forest . Tender fruits etc but mostly condos with retired hippies .
Prairies of Alberta, Sask & Manitoba is just an extension of the US mid west plains. Tends to be frost hardy grain and cereal crops but there are exceptions in the south.
Southern Ontario as pointed out has/had tobacco, vineyards, tender fruits, commercial field tomatoes for Heinz Ketchup . In particular north of Lake Erie, west of Lake Huron and west/north side of Lake Ontario. That was before urban sprawl from Toronto paved most of Ontario"s prime farm land.
Ontario rapidly turns into Boreal Forest, rock and black flies north of Lake Ontario .
There is a patch of sand around Earlton Ontario that has some decent farms that grow hay, winter wheat and root crops . Forget about corn , beans and such .
Quebec and New Brunswick has a strip of farmland in the very south. Rock and Boreal Forest for the most part.
Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island coastal New Brunswick and south west New Found Land bask in the edge of the Gulf Stream and can grow tender crops in places where it is "t bedrock and mountain foot hills. PEI is noted for Potato production and Anne of Green Gables.
Double cropping in a season is unheard of with the exception of silage bagging green oats as forage . After winter wheat is harvested .
 
Here in SW Ontario we are more south than much of the mid west US. Crops around here are corn, beans, wheat, sugarbeets,tobacco,colured beans and a bit more east of us are orchards and vinyards in a concentrated area. Our weather is greatly influenced by the great lakes. North of us (4 hrs+) drive time, the land gives way to more rock etc that is unsuitable for farming but great for recreation (one of our provinces greatest assets). The "Clay Belt" about 10 hrs north of here is an amazing pocket of agriculture in the middle of Northern Ontario. Harvey that posts on here comes from that area, I will let him tell you about that.
 
We live 800 miles north of the US/Canada Border on the BC/Alberta border In the heart of the PEACE River farming area. Wheat is in the ground around May 20 as it takes 90 frost free drays to mature. CANOLA is grown as it is a huge cash crop (I noticed the cooking oil on the shelves in ATRIZONA came from Canada :CANOLA OIL:) Barley and Oats are grown as there is a market for these grains to finish feeder steers. My neighbour seeds 3000 acres of CANOLA and several thousand of Wheat. My land is rented out and it is used to grow a mix of Alfalfa and Timothy for cattle feed. No corn is grown in this area. I lived for 24 years on the Washington Sate /B.C. border and there in Canada Apples, Pears, Cherries, Plums, Grapes, peaches and a huge winery business. North of the Washington state border in the Ranching area of the Nicola and Thompson Rivera area several Ranchers ran cattle. Douglas lake cattle company run several thousand head.
Bob.....
 
Typical operations in western Canada..
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It's funny go swimming in Maine and you get a headache the water's so cold ,go swimming in PEI and it is like your on a beach in Florida.
 
Even though it's the prarie you can see the Canadian farmers respect and use of the trees around the home and buildings area. They know how to use trees to do more than make firewood.
 
I live just east of Peace River aprox 800 ml north of the Montana border, there's quite a few big farmers up here and as far north as High Level another 200 ml north.
We have the longest growing season in N America cause in summer there's 19-20 hrs daylight.
 
(quoted from post at 23:39:31 05/20/14) How for north can you guys 'farm'? what crops are grown in your areas?How far north can you grow corn? grain or silage? I'm kinda of intrigued by Canada.Always have been.Would even consider moveing there if the opportunity presented itself..... Thanks,Steve.

There is a tidbit of Ontario Canada that is farther south than the California northern state line .
 
I have some friends that live near Star City, Saskatchewan. Wonderful countryside. Been there several times since 2003.

Stan
 
Drove across Canada to Alaska in 1974. Remember
driving across plains and suddenly coming to edge of
Peace River valley and looking over huge beautiful
valley. Loved it, great area, met great people all
along the way.
 

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