Tariff turmoil, extreme drought, late-season rain, wildfire smoke, a change in federal government: to say it’s been an atypical year on the farm would be an understatement.

Then again, as most farmers are quick to point out, there’s really no such thing as a typical farming season.

By all accounts, crops have been strong. Yields are above average for canola and wheat, despite early-season heat waves, dry conditions and smoky skies. In fact, those factors probably helped. The onset of seemingly ceaseless autumn rain has been a bigger challenge for farmers as they race to finish harvest and prepare fields for spring seeding — but it’s nothing they haven’t faced before.

Tariffs are a more uncomfortable reality; China has levelled a 75 per cent levy on canola — one of Manitoba’s most import

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