KEMPTVILLE — Between three and five per cent of the corn crop was still on eastern Ontario fields by mid-January, said OMAFRA crop specialist Gilles Quesnel. In some cases, corn had yet to be harvested because fields were muddy quagmires. But in most cases, the corn had to wait because the farm ran out of storage space.

Quesnel says farmers should be wary of waiting any longer. In many areas a heavy snow in December broke many stalks on both the corn and soybeans, reducing yields. A heavy snow could take many of the fields down and many fields got pounded with flurries Jan. 15.

Most of what’s left of the soybean crop on the fields has been written off. Around Lindsay they aren’t worth harvesting any more, says crop farmer Joe Hickson.

In Renfrew County, Larry Reaburn says he harvested a neighbour’s soybeans in December and they had held up surprisingly well. So has the corn crop in Renfrew. It shows little sign of lodging.

Quesnel says more crop is on the fields in the area west of Kingston and around Cumberland, east of Ottawa, than in the rest of eastern Ontario. He points out that the harvest has taken a toll on growers of Identity Preserved soybeans, mostly designated for the Japan market. However, Alvin Runnalls, of Winchester, says he had 43 bushels per acre, below the area yield this year. But when he added his $90 per tonne bonus he was "more than happy."

Corn yields, at about 135 bushels an acre, lagged behind last year’s record average yield across Ontario of 139 bushels an acre. In 2004, the average yield was 119 bushels an acre.

Said one farmer, joking about harvesting in January without snow: "I guess Christmas is coming a little late this year."