Some Vancouver Island farmers say this corn season is off to a great start.

B次元官网网址淭he weather has been really good,B次元官网网址� Silver Rill Corn general manager and co-owner Clayton Fox of Saanich Peninsula said. B次元官网网址淐orn likes a lot of heat so the weather has been perfect for it. WeB次元官网网址檝e got a long way to go. We anticipate great quality products all the way through the season.B次元官网网址�

Sluggett Farms co-owner Larry Sluggett agreed that this season has been better than normal, and he also believes this will continue.

B次元官网网址淭he last forecast I saw showed that the next couple of weeks will be warmer than it usually is,B次元官网网址� Sluggett said. B次元官网网址淪omething that will happen as a result of that is the crops are maturing earlier. In theory, we will have corn from the middle of July right through to the middle of October. ItB次元官网网址檚 ripening sooner than planned now so our season may end earlier. The corn that we planted the first week of June is probably going to mature during September.B次元官网网址�

Fox said this year has been very dry, but his work days have mainly been business as usual.

B次元官网网址淲e compensate for the dryness by irrigating more and more.B次元官网网址�

Last season, Sluggett had corn until the middle of October and then killer frost appeared.

B次元官网网址淲hen that happens, it basically ends the season because the frost kills the plants. It stops it dead in its tracks. That happens now and then and is really unpredictable.B次元官网网址�

Fox said the last corn season was one of the shortest he has ever experienced.

B次元官网网址淲e had a slow start and a hot fall. It was busy when it was on, but we had to stop on Thanksgiving. It was too ripe at that point, Usually, we are able to keep going for a few more weeks. This year is going to be longer.B次元官网网址�

A current problem for farmers continues to be ongoing labour issues.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e still having some challenges with getting boots on the ground and getting people who want to work out in the heat and in the fields, Fox said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a tricky situation, and itB次元官网网址檚 a money issue. You have to pay more to get local people to do those jobs.B次元官网网址�

Sluggett said the lack of young local farmers adds to the problem.

B次元官网网址淢ost of the farmers in the Saanich Peninsula area are getting up there in years. There are a lot of young people that want to get into it, but itB次元官网网址檚 difficult. The price of raw land has gone up quite a bit. It gets to a situation where you canB次元官网网址檛 make enough money to make it profitable.B次元官网网址�

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