East of Kingston about 15 per cent of the corn was still in the field at the end of November.

"We’ve increased our harvest capacity," says eastern director of the Ontario Soybean Marketing Board, John Vanturnout, of Stormont County. "But we haven’t increased our drying capacity."

The Prescott Port hasn’t had this much corn since 1998, said General Foreman Casey Veltkamp. It’s designed for 150,000 tonnes of wheat, but on November 30 was waiting for a ship to leave so he could take in another 25,000 tonnes. "The port’s busy," he said. "There’s plenty of demand."

He said more land in eastern Ontario is moving into grains and yields are better. He said he’s heard of yields as high as 6.5 tonnes per acre.

Adrian Rutters, of Rutters Elevators at Chesterville, says this year and the 1999 harvest are likely record years. "This is probably the best two years we’ve ever seen in eastern Ontario," he said.

While everyone welcomes higher yields, says Bud Atkins, president of Seaway Valley Farmers Energy Co-operative, eastern Ontario is in a surplus position with only one buyer. What’s more, as the Canadian dollar increases in value Canadian corn becomes less attractive to American buyers. Prices at some elevators have dropped as low as $118 per tonne, he said.

By the end of November about 40 per cent of the corn was still on the ground in the Kawartha Lakes region, says Soil and Crop Association agronomist Neil Moore. The reason is pure and simple. Wet weather. "Most people waited for their soybeans to come off before they started on the corn," he said. For 10 days in November not a wheel turned in the region. Throughout November rainfall averaged an inch per week, much higher than normal. Yields are running about 130 bushels on the best fields, and yields are up on average about 20 per cent.

Lodging is a problem in the region. The damage is from stalk rot, he says. Not corn borer.