With five days in July with a daytime high over 30 degrees Celsius, and several others that were pretty close, the summer heat finally enveloped the area, and the crops showed the results.
The average temperature reached 21.5 degrees Celsius, which is a half degree above the normal of 21.1 degrees Celsius. Helping the monthly average to rise above normal were some very warm nights in the second half of the month.
Rainfall was on the short side of average, with Ormstown recording only 61 mm coming down during July and 70 mm, plus or minus, recorded at the St-Anicet and Ste-Clotilde Environment Canada weather stations’ respectively, representing about 75% of normal precipitation for the area at this time of year.
The corn heat units (CHU) followed the same trend as the average temperature, finally moving ahead of the normal CHU by the end of the month. There were 822 CHU total for the month, so slightly higher than the normal 799 CHU. Since May 12th, total CHU accumulation is 1893, which is also slightly above the normal of 1862.
This time last year, we had received 1904 CHU, but with the abundant moisture in June, the corn and soybeans fields look to be generally in excellent shape, and farmers have started to combine the winter wheat, which has matured nicely with the July warmth.
The first batch of sweet corn is on the market, and the cobs are large and full for this time of the year, and the first apples – for those who like a nice tart Vista Bella! – are available from the roadside kiosks and farmers’ markets. It also looks like a good year for straw with large fluffy windrows waiting to be baled.
