42 It’s Farming. And It’s Better. Better Farming | May 2024 The following is not an expert agronomical opinion, and we are not crop advisors. But our research and analysis into last year’s wildfires opened our eyes to a clear and distinct possibility regarding final crop yields in North America. Many in the ag industry including us have become very sceptical of the big crop yields from last year, especially for U.S. corn and soybeans. Although not as all-encompassing as it was in 2012, drought has been a feature for the North American ag landscape for a couple of years now, with large parts of the U.S. and Canada suffering from record-breaking heat and dry conditions. Over the last few years, it’s mostly been a story of two halves in many large regions of the U.S. and Canada, with one half receiving ample rain and the other being very dry. Drought is one of the factors that can reduce final crop yields but also fuel wildfires. 2023 was an intense year due to an exceptionally high level of wildfires in Canada. It was the worst ever wildfire season for Canada with reports of over 600 out-of-control wildfires blazing last summer in the country. The situation “picked up steam” in early May when Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia featured many large blazing wildfires. This mega natural disaster continued into October and is estimated to have affected 18 million hectares of land in total. Experts measured the intensity of last year’s wildfires and estimated it to be significantly more than what was experienced by Canada in the prior two decades. Canada’s 2023 wildfires are estimated to have produced a total of 480 million tons of carbon emissions, which is comparable to 1,761 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and that is about five times the average over the prior 20 years of CO2. The U.S., on the other hand, had its lowest carbon dioxide emissions due to wildfires in 20 years. The emissions and smoke from the Canadian wildfires are deemed to have affected the crops south of the border, especially the ones in the U.S. Midwest and the Northern Plains. The spread of smoke and carbon dioxide normally is wide and all-encompassing. The initial concern was that the crop growing cycle would be affected. For example, the current corn and soybean seeds used are genetically engineered to be more drought resistant. Some seed companies’ data reflect that EXPLAINED: BETTER THAN EXPECTED YIELDS Farmers got lucky with yields in 2023, despite drought. By Moe Agostino & Abhinesh Gopal Moe’s Market Minute Wildfire smoke in June and rains in July helped crop yields last year. Emily Croft photo
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