Mild, sunny days rescue soybean crop

After a wet October, P.E.I. farmers were able to bring in a big chunk of their soybean crop during mild, sunny weather last week.

'It's certainly a great cash crop.' Neil Campbell, PE.I.. Grain Elevators Corporation

At the end of October most of the Island's 20,000 hectares of soybeans were still in the ground. About half of that was harvested last week.

The soybean harvest was going so well last week that for a day or two the corporation had to stop farmers delivering to the elevators.

Islanders started farming soybeans in rotation with potatoes, but Neil Campbell, sales marketing manager with P.E.I. Grain Elevators Corporation, said they are becoming a cash crop of their own.

"The price has been good. A lot of guys booked between 380 and 400 [dollars a ton] as an average, which is about $70 higher than last year," said Campbell.

"I don't know about the rotational part but it's certainly a great cash crop. The dollars are there for the guys."

Soybeans have a way to go to catch up with potatoes on the Island. In 2010, about 34,000 hectares of potatoes were planted.