Kapicki says "crops excellent" NE of Edmonton

John Kapicki has never seen such good fields with so little rain. His farm near Andrew, Alta., had three and a half inches of rain as of yesterday, when normal is around nine inches. Yet his canola is tall and lush and "heading for 60 bushels if we get a rain," John says. The photo shows him in that same field. "Is rain in the forecast?," I asked him yesterday. "Yep, for today," he said, adding that "You've got to be optimistic. Not just in farming, but in anything."

John has been writing for Grainews off and on for years, and I had just edited one of his articles for the September issue. I had called to clarify one of his points, and of course, we got onto the topic of crop conditions. He said the foot of snow just before seeding has saved them. It did delay spring work, and crops are about a week late but catching up.

John enjoys seeing farmers take pride in their work, and he says there are a few good young farmers in his area "in fierce competition to be the best." Their rows are straight, their fields are clean, he says. I asked if they were making money. "I think so, yeah, especially with grain prices where they are."