It's been another nice week of spring weather. The crops are coming up. The leaves are all out. This is the best time of year. Everything is green and growing. I like it.
On the hoar frost calendar, I have May 27 marked for a trace and May 28 marked as a rain. This looks like it is going to come a couple of days early and that is normal. Could not ask the Big Guy for anything better for the crops.
On the home front, the wheat is in and the wheat is up. The land has little green hairs all over it. Great! After it was so cold and nothing was growing a person wonders about seeding but we seeded and now it all appears to have come up. An old time farmer who knows his land can tell you that there is the perfect time frame each year to seed a crop. This looks like we are in it. The land wants to grow and it will. I am looking forward to harvest. Before, the only thing green out there was the neighbours' high clearance sprayer and they were spraying non-existent weeds. Well that is not completely true, some sprayers were red! Now, next time he sprays he will actually have something to kill. Must love that spraying.
Son Ron has one quarter of canola to seed then he is coming to seed my canola. This makes me happy. I have made the trip to North Battleford for a load of fertilizer that saved me about $2,500 minus my fuel to the Battlefords and back. I also had to fix a soft tire before I left and now I see I have another soft tire. My trailers don't move most of the year until harvest. The tires are good enough to pass any safety but when they sit so much, the air will go down. Not a big deal.
The fertilizer companies are really annoying me. First, they make out that there is a big shortage of fertilizer. There was no big fertilizer shortage. There was only the big lie. Urea fertilizer was selling for $450 per tonne last fall. This spring the asking price is $800 per tonne. How in the price of ducks and all God's creation can they justify that? Frequently the same fertilizer that was in storage got a $350 per tonne price increase. That's a 77 per cent increase in six months. How is that justified? Only a dumb ass farmer would put up with this system. First the elevator companies wouldn't move your grain so you could buy in the fall, you have no money, then the price of inputs almost doubles. Talk about getting horse whipped when a guy is down!
I don't like storing fertilizer. The granular can set up and come out lumpy. The liquid settles out and has to be stirred up with pumps. It is a lot better if we can have it as we use it but what a financial penalty. I can't wait until Farmers of North America get their plant up and running.
In politics, the Alberta conservatives are busy choosing a new leader. If you have a membership in the party you will receive a ballot that you can cast in person or phone or do Internet. This system should allow the most number of Albertans to vote. This is a good system. I know that it is not possible but if I could, I would vote for Dave Hancock. Unfortunately he is not running and I am from Saskatchewan. He would be my choice over all the other candidates I have seen.
In Ontario the provincial election is only about two weeks away. Then there will be some rejoicing by a few and much hand wringing and dismay on the losing side. There is a couple of the parties that should not be given the opportunity to govern again. I hope the people of Ontario realize their choice should be clear and a return to the overspending and deficit financing has to end. Ontario has gone from the strongest economy in Canada to one of unemployment and job losses. Not all are the fault of government but taxation policies and government red tape has made for an unhealthy business climate.
Quote of the week from Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister. "The problem with socialism is you soon run out of other people's money."
Joke of the week: There were these three drunks who hailed down a taxi in a nearby city. The taxi driver knew that they were drunk so he started the engine and turned it off again. Then he said, "We have reached our destination." The first guy gave him money and the second guy said, "Thank you." The third guy slapped the driver. The driver was shocked thinking the third drunk knew what he had done. But then he asked, "What the heck was that for?" The third guy replied, "Control your speed next time buddy, you nearly killed us!"
