Farmers are on their toes, working quickly to harvest thousands of acres of crops!
Earlier this week, Cornwallis Farms Limited harvested Soybeans on Belcher Street. Right after the harvest, they planted winter wheat which will be harvested next year!
Compared to some crops where they are planted in spring, winter wheat is planted in fall, overtop of soybean crops. Winter wheat is a nitrogen-hungry crop, making a recently harvested soybean field an ideal, nutrient-rich environment for its growth.
The winter wheat plant utilizes leftover nutrients from the soybeans that ultimately help the plant establish a root system in the fall for an early spring start.
Soybeans, on the other hand, are another type of plant that has an array of different types of purposes.
Most soybeans harvested in Nova Scotia are transported, stored and used for high protein livestock feed. In some cases they can also be used for different things like soy milk, soy flour, vegetable and cooking oils, industrial materials like printing inks, lubricants and adhesives.
These dry and dark looking fields scattered around our communities hold little pods with soybeans inside, their brown coloured plant signals the readiness for harvest, even though the plant may look unhealthy.
Photos attached include soybeans, soybean harvest and the planting on next year’s winter wheat!
Adrian J.
